Nickelini in 2013, Part Three

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Nickelini in 2013, Part Three

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1Nickelini
Modifié : Août 29, 2013, 1:46 am






August

58. Size 12 is Not Fat, Meg Cabot
57. Shame, Jasvnder Sanghera
56. Offshore, Penelope Fitzgerald
55. An Experiment in Love, Hilary Mantel
54. The Amulet of Samarkand, Jonathan Stroud
53. Case Histories, Kate Atkinson
52. Tube Trivia, Andrew Emmerson
51. Hawksmoor, Peter Ackroyd

July

50. What a Carve Up!, Jonathan Coe
49. The Small Hand, Susan Hill
48. A Long Way Down, Nick Hornby
47. Rick Steves' London 2013, Rick Steves
46. The Inheritance of Loss, Kiran Desai
45. Literary London: a Street by Street Exploration of the Capital's Literary Heritage, Ed Glinert,
44. We are the Weather Makers, Tim Flannery

June

43. 50 Popular Beliefs that People Think are True, Guy P Harrison
42. Sky People, Patricia Grace
41. Moon Tiger, Penelope Lively
40. Sointula, Bill Gaston
39. Where'd You Go, Bernadette?, Maria Semple
38. This Common Secret, Susan Wicklund
37. the Last Kingdom, Bernard Cornwell
36. Souvenir of Canada, Douglas Coupland
35. The Witch of Exmoor, Margaret Drabble

May

34. Macbeth, William Shakespeare
33. Tender is the Night, F. Scott Fitzgerald
32. The Ethical Assassin, David Liss
31. the House I Loved, Tatiana de Rosnay
30. First Fruits, Penelope Evans
29. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot
28. Forest for the Trees, Betsy Lerner
27. The Student of Weather, Elizabeth Hay
26. Overdressed, Elizabeth L. Cline

April

25. The Flight of Gemma Hardy, Margot Livesey
24. A Good House, Bonnie Burnard
23. The Elegance of the Hedgehog, Muriel Burbery
22. Five Bells, Gail Jones
21. Wuthering Heights, Norton Critical Edition, Emily Bronte
20. The House of Mirth, Edith Wharton

March

19. Who Betrays Elizabeth Bennet?, John Sutherland
18. Is Heathcliff a Murderer?, John Sutherland
17. The Beautiful Room is Empty, Edmund White
16. the Shooting Party, Isabel Colgate
15. Can Jane Eyre Be Happy?, John Sutherland
14. The Book of Small, Emily Carr
13. The Forest Lover, Susan Vreeland

February

12. The Beginning of Spring, Penelope Fitzgerald
11. How Literature Works: 50 Key Concepts, John Sutherland
10. The Best Laid Plans, Terry Fallis
9. The Bronte Myth, Lucasta Miller
8. The Wood, John Stewart Collis
7. Girlfriend in a Coma, Douglas Coupland
6. Eating Dirt: Deep Forests, Big Timber, and Life with the Tree-Planting Tribe, Charlotte Gill

January 2013

5. In the Forest, Edna O'Brien
4. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Michael Chabon
3. Deep Hollow Creek, Sheila Watson
2. The Colour, Rose Tremain
1. Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China, Jung Chang

2Helenliz
Juin 7, 2013, 11:05 am

What a fab picture! I'm reminded of Mary Poppins where the jumped into the picture and visited it. That looks like such a nice restful, pleasant place to be.

Happy new thread.

3Nickelini
Juin 7, 2013, 12:09 pm

38. This Common Secret: My Journey as an Abortion Doctor, Susan Wicklund, 2007


I like the isolated farmhouse and the brooding sky--and this setting was important in the book, so it fits.

Comments: This is a compelling memoir of a doctor who travelled between Wisconsin, North Dakota, Montana, and Minneapolis working at abortion clinics. What stood out was the great compassion and care she gave each of her patients--while at the same time fending off dangerous protesters, and hospitals that prioritized billing protocol over patient well-being (and common sense). Her stories of run-ins with anti-choice extremists were scary and deeply disturbing (frequent death threats, home broken into, cornered late at night in a parking lot, frequently held hostage in her home when they blocked off her driveway, and followed everywhere she went), but the stories that really got me were the individual patient stories. I am not a crier, but I had tears in my eyes three or four times while reading the gut-wrenching stories of what some women go through before ending up at an abortion clinic. Other stories showed the head shaking hypocrosy of the anti-choice protesters (several who ended up in her clinic seeking abortions for themselves). The book is written in simple, clear language, and I wouldn't call it literary, but it gripped me from the beginning and I whizzed through it in less than a day. Literary?, no, but some pretty good writing all the same.

Recommended for: I definitely recommend this for anyone who is interested in this, or is interested in human rights.

Why I Read This Now: it just sort of fell open in front of me.

Rating: 4.5 stars

4Cariola
Juin 7, 2013, 1:21 pm

Sounds like a good read.

5janeajones
Juin 7, 2013, 1:26 pm

And a very brave woman.

6VivienneR
Juin 7, 2013, 1:47 pm

Joyce, I wanted to give your review for This Common Secret a thumb but see you haven't posted it on the work page yet. Thanks for the reference, Wicklund has been added to my "wanted" list.

7Nickelini
Juin 7, 2013, 2:18 pm

Thanks for reminding me, Vivienne. I've copied it over there now. I got distracted by my 16 year old daughter's morning crisis (I'm late! Where's my lunch?!)

8paruline
Modifié : Juin 7, 2013, 2:42 pm

A timely read (I'm thinking of Dr. Henry Morgentaler's passing last week).

Edited to say that it's added to my wishlist.

9mkboylan
Juin 7, 2013, 3:06 pm

On TBR list. Love your new pic!

10Nickelini
Juin 7, 2013, 3:19 pm

A timely read (I'm thinking of Dr. Henry Morgentaler's passing last week).

Yes, indeed. It's amazing that anyone will take on this job--who wants to get death threats just for doing your job? It's much easier to just become a dermatologist. Yet their services are in high demand, often by the very people who publicly deride them.

11baswood
Juin 7, 2013, 7:48 pm

Nice picture - the lady has real style

12detailmuse
Juin 8, 2013, 4:39 pm

This Common Secret seems like one to add when I get to The Girls Who Went Away: The Hidden History of Women Who Surrendered Children for Adoption in the Decades Before Roe v. Wade.

The brooding sky reminds me of the cover of Columbine:

13kidzdoc
Juin 9, 2013, 3:03 pm

Nice review of This Common Secret, Joyce; I'll add it to my wish list.

14Nickelini
Juin 11, 2013, 1:04 pm

#12 - MJ - Yes, I see what you mean. Looks like that cover was fitting as well.

#13 - If you ever get around to reading This Common Secret, I'll be interested to hear your thoughts, Darryl (since it's written by a doctor and comments on the medical establishment in the US). It's a very quick read, if that helps you prioritize.

15Nickelini
Juin 11, 2013, 1:34 pm

39. Where'd You Go, Bernadette?, Maria Semple, 2012


An energetic and fun cover that suits the book perfectly. I wonder if it leads the potential reader to think this is chicklit though, which would be too bad because I don't think this book is really chicklit.

Comments This is an interesting twist on the epistolary novel, because to tell this story, in addition to letters and e-mails, Semple also uses FBI documents, police reports, school mailings, TED talk transcripts, psychiatric reports, and so on. The story is compiled by Bee, the likeable young teenage daughter of unusual parents. Her father is a Microsoft genius, and her mother--Bernadette--is a former architecture star who has struggled with her unfulfilled life since the family moved to Seattle many years earlier. The first half of the novel is packed with Bernadette's humorous observations about life in Seattle. The second half of the book involves a trip to Antarctica that made me add another place to my "must see" list.

Why I Read This Now: Two reasons. First, my book club voted on this novel last September (before it was nominated for the Orange Prize) and decided to read it this June because it looked light and fun, and most of us are crazy-busy in June. It was a good choice in that regard.

Second, well, since I had to read it this month anyway, there was no better time than this past weekend, which I spent in Seattle. I like to read books set in places I'm visiting, and this one was perfect. For example, it was fun to read about a restaurant and then drive past it an hour later. And Bernadette spent a lot of time complaining about the traffic and five-way intersections--Seattle traffic is a bear! It was like I was living in the book.

Recommended for: This is a very readable, fun book. Lots of great reviews and reader comments. Personally, I didn't find it laugh out loud funny as many did, but it was highly amusing. Give it a try.

Rating: I think it's a 4 star book, although reading it while in Seattle definitely pushes it toward 4.5 for me.

Half-way though I realized it just had to be written to be filmed--considering the author had a career writing for television and its snappy pacing. I see it's in development. Should be a good movie, and I'm trying to think about the casting. Right from beginning, I had an actress pegged for Bernadette's nemisis-neighbour, Audrey: Missi Pyle (Mrs Beauregarde from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, along with many other roles)


I think she's the perfect Audrey. Not sure who I'd cast for the other parts. Playing casting director for books I've read is a fun game. So, for you who have read Where'd You Go, Bernadette?, what do you think?

16mkboylan
Juin 11, 2013, 1:37 pm

Wish I was in Seattle right now!

17Nickelini
Juin 11, 2013, 1:38 pm

#16 - Why? Judging by the weather here in Vancouver, it's probably cloudy and cool in Seattle.

18Nickelini
Modifié : Juin 11, 2013, 1:48 pm

I forgot to add -- at the end of Where'd You Go, Bernadette? is a four page short story called "Dear Mountain Room Parents," which is told in e-mails by a school administrator concerning the upcoming plans for the school celebration of the Mexican holiday Day of the Dead. It's very funny and worth tracking down. It was originally published in The New Yorker.

19NanaCC
Juin 11, 2013, 1:48 pm

This is a book I am planning for my August vacation. Glad to see another good review.

20Nickelini
Juin 11, 2013, 1:49 pm

Nana - I hope it hasn't become over-hyped for you by then! Otherwise, it'll make a good (but quick)vacation read.

21NanaCC
Juin 11, 2013, 1:55 pm

Joyce, I take a stack of books with me for my two weeks vacation every August. All 7 grandchildren will be there, and though they range in age from 17 to 4, you can imagine the fun that goes on. Therefore, I need mostly fluff reading. But sitting on the deck, reading by the ocean at Cape Cod is a nice problem to have.

22Nickelini
Juin 11, 2013, 2:12 pm

But sitting on the deck, reading by the ocean at Cape Cod is a nice problem to have.

Sounds lovely!!

23mkboylan
Juin 11, 2013, 2:25 pm

17 - cause I like Seattle! although I prefer it in August. It,s nice in Sacramento today but was 107 Saturday and not fun. Grass is often greener - but I'll be leaving for the Rockies soon before it gets and stays too hot here. Hope to hit Seattle and Portland in August. I could not live in the Pacific NW with that cloudy weather the rest of the year.

24Nickelini
Juin 11, 2013, 2:53 pm

#23 - Ah, yes, I see. August in the Pacific Northwest is sublime. September too. People who move here from elsewhere are often driven crazy by the grey, and when we have those long drizzly springs, or those Novembers when it rains every single day, I too go crazy. But mostly I like it. The air is fresh.

25dchaikin
Juin 15, 2013, 8:25 am

This Common Secret sounds like a fascinating memoir. One cover comment - on Where'd You Go, Bernadette - I think it's a creative cover, but it sends me mommy-chick-lit vibes. I'm surprised to find it's actually a well-regarded novel. Based on the cover, I would not have touched it.

I missed a whole thread of yours, never posted in Part 2. I've just read through the last 14 (!) reviews there, which was very enjoyable and interesting. Too much to comment on, but I can't resist sending you another compliment on The Henrietta Lackes book, your review really penetrated that text and explained what it was that makes some readers uncomfortable...maybe I should say seeme to, since I haven't read it...

26Helenliz
Juin 15, 2013, 9:43 am

I have to say that I was left somewhat underwhelmed by where'd you go Bernadette. You can stretch the elastic band of credibility only so far before it goes "snap". And for me the elastic band snapped at Antarctica.
The idea was good, but I felt the execution wasn't sufficient to carry it off. It was a fairly swift read, and I imagine would be quite fun if you have a slightly more stretchy elastic credibility band than I have.
Oh, and I'm sooooo very glad I had run-of-the-mill parents; I don't envy Bee having that pair of high performers for parents, it's quite surprising she ends up quite as level headed as she seems in the text!

27Cariola
Juin 15, 2013, 9:51 am

25> I had the same reaction to that cover, Dan. Still not sure I want to read this one.

28torontoc
Juin 16, 2013, 10:01 am

I really enjoyed Where'd You Go, Bernadette and the short story in the paperback version at the end of the book is hilarious1

29kidzdoc
Modifié : Juin 17, 2013, 8:06 am

I agree with Dan and Deborah about the off-putting cover of Where'd You Go, Bernadette. I seriously doubt that I'll read it.

30Nickelini
Juin 17, 2013, 10:51 am

Dan, Deborah, & Darryl - Although Where'd You Go, Bernadette? was a good reading experience, I wouldn't call it a Must-Read. Especially if your first name starts with the letter D.

I do, however, recommend everyone read her VERY short story "Dear Mountain Room Parents," which is available here:

http://www.newyorker.com/humor/2011/10/24/111024sh_shouts_semple?currentPage=1

Helen - yes, I completely see your point. In another mood I might not have been so elastic, and I suspect Bee's perfectness would have really irked me.

31mkboylan
Juin 17, 2013, 10:58 am

Oh my that is one of the best stories I've read in awhile. Thanks for posting that link Nickelini!

32janeajones
Juin 17, 2013, 12:09 pm

Great story, Joyce. Oh the joys of parent communications. That's why I teach college where under federal rules I can't tell parents anything about their kids without the kids' permission as the kids are legally adults.

33Nickelini
Modifié : Juin 17, 2013, 12:22 pm

Jane - I'm so glad to hear that a federal rule exists. I've heard shocking stories about parents trying to interfere in their kids' post-secondary education. One example that stands out: My 18 year old child can't read Harry Potter for your Children's Literature class because she might abandon Christianity and become a witch. Oh please (on so many levels).

34janeajones
Juin 17, 2013, 12:25 pm

Bad enough that that sort of parental interference happens in El-Hi education. We just get interference from our state legislators -- I'm so tired of politicians making academic policy decisions.

35Nickelini
Juin 17, 2013, 12:27 pm

Yes, they really need to let the experts do their jobs and stop meddling.

36Cariola
Modifié : Juin 17, 2013, 3:02 pm

Ditto on that! You've probably heard my story about when I chaired the Academic Day Committee and a parent called the university president to complain that her child could not participate because The Reader was "inappropriate material for a Christian young man."

And our legislators are just as abominable.

37Nickelini
Juin 17, 2013, 2:06 pm

Deborah - I forgot that incident! Grrr! That mentality makes me insane. If your Christianity is so fragile that you can't read a novel that you don't find edifying, you're not much of a Christian.

38Cariola
Juin 17, 2013, 3:04 pm

It always reminds me of a poem Jonson wrote about a woman who prided herself on her virtue and chastity. His point was, how can you pride yourself on avoiding temptation if no one has offered to tempt you?

39detailmuse
Juin 17, 2013, 3:52 pm

I'm still interested in reading Where'd You Go Bernadette?, mainly for the format. The short-short you linked shows she can develop a nonstandard narrative; fun.

40Nickelini
Juin 17, 2013, 4:12 pm

#38 - Deborah - funny!

#39 - I think the experimental format is what got that book onto the Orange prize shortlist. I think it's what sets the book apart from other fun, light reads.

41Nickelini
Modifié : Juin 18, 2013, 11:51 pm

40. Sointula, Bill Gaston, 2004


Cover comments: I like it. When I saw it at the bookstore, it jumped out at me, partly because I was familiar with the village of Sointula, and I thought "cool, someone wrote a book about Sointula!" and then I looked at the art and thought "interesting, and not what I'd put on the cover of a book about Sointula, so what is this all about anyway?"

.
Map showing the location of Sointula.

Comments: The real Sointula is a failed Utopian community off the coast of northern Vancouver Island. It was founded in the early 20th century by a group of Finnish settlers, and its name means “harmony.” The Sointula of the novel, Sointula, I suppose, has more of a symbolic meaning that anything else. In some ways, it is about a search for harmony, or inner peace. Or maybe not. Either way, not much of the book is actually set there, and it certainly isn’t a piece of historical fiction retelling the village’s story.

Instead it is the story of Tom Poole, a 26 year old with a dodgy past,who lives on a beach near Sointula working as a whale researcher. He may or may not be a sociopath, autistic, or a drug dealer. And it’s the story of Evelyn, his mother, who abandons her comfortable life in Ontario to be at the deathbed of Tom’s father, Claude. Her story begins 460 km south, at the other end of Vancouver Island, where she suddenly decides to drop her depression medication, live like a homeless person, and steal a kayak. And finally, it’s the story of British-American ex-high school biology teacher Peter, who wants to travel the Island and write a book about the experience (despite his frequent gall bladder attacks). He soon meets up with Evelyn and they decide to kayak to Sointula to find Tom, a journey for which they are in no way prepared.

What I didn’t like: None of the characters are particularly likeable, although they are sympathetic. Just when I was warming to one of them, they’d do something dumb, or selfish, or morally questionable. They were all a bit too quick to act like hobos. I found the frequent discussion of their dirty, smelly, starving bodies a bit tiresome---after all, like George Orwell in Down and Out in Paris and London, they could make it all go away in a phone call. I often felt trapped in the kayak , tent, or isolated beach right along with them, but then I think this feeling of being trapped is one of the author’s points. However, at times I found it made me feel a bit too claustrophobic.

What I liked: A lot. The writing is excellent and the book is well structured. The characters and situations were different, and right to the end there was nothing predictable or too coincidental. I appreciate that there is a map, even though I know the Island quite well and would have had a good idea where they were without it, I found myself flipping to it frequently. Gaston is one of those writers who weaves in bits of history, biology, and geography, and I love to learn while I read. But my favourite thing about the book is the author’s excellent sense of place—I personally love Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands, and I can tell he does too.

Why I Read This Now: I’ve been eager to read it, and my mini-break on Vancouver Island this past weekend was the perfect excuse to start it. Even though I wasn’t at the exact locations he described, there was a lot that similar, which is always an enriching experience for me. For example, while I was at the beach looking at clams and oysters with my family, I could pull out some smarty-pants sounding facts that I had just read that morning.

Recommended for: Readers who like unusual literary fiction, anyone who is interested in Vancouver Island or the great outdoors of the Pacific Northwest. Not recommended for people who are uncomfortable when reading about bodily functions.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

42janeajones
Juin 18, 2013, 9:06 pm

If I ever plan to go to Vancouver, I'll definitely pick this one up -- sounds really interesting, Joyce.

43rebeccanyc
Juin 19, 2013, 7:21 am

You got me interested when you talked about the failed utopian community, but when I learned the book was actually about smelly people with bodily functions I lost interest. Although if I ever go to Vancouver, I might regain interest!

44baswood
Juin 19, 2013, 2:23 pm

but when I learned the book was actually about smelly people with bodily functions Is this typical of people on Vancouver Islands I wonder. Excellent review Joyce.

45Nickelini
Juin 19, 2013, 2:33 pm

Is this typical of people on Vancouver Islands I wonder.

Oh lord no. They say the people in Victoria are more English than the English. The population of Vancouver Island is nudging toward a million, so there are all types.

46Nickelini
Modifié : Juin 21, 2013, 1:57 pm

41. Moon Tiger, Penelope Lively, 1987


Cover comments: This is a 1989 edition and reflects the fashion of that time. Looks dated now, but it's really not bad, actually.

Comments: Here is the summary of Moon Tiger: it is a 76 yr old woman’s reflections of her life as she lies on her deathbed.

Even if she had an interesting life (which Claudia did indeed), the premise is still bo-ring! But the catch is that one doesn’t read Moon Tiger for the story. Instead, one reads it for the writing and technique—this is a book for literature lovers. Claudia is a feisty and sometimes abrasive character that some readers won’t warm to, but I rather liked her determination and independence. Mostly though, what I really liked is her narrative voice, whether she’s speaking in the first person or being described in the third. The narrative point of view is what makes this novel special. Many scenes are told two or three times, from different viewpoints, some of which Claudia wasn’t aware of. I also loved how Lively subtly repeats details that seem insignificant yet symbolize the important points of the story—for example, the moon tiger of the title, which is a mosquito coil that burns down while Claudia lies in bed with her lover (and doesn’t protect her from coming down with malaria fever anyway).

I didn’t fully embrace the book, however. About a third of the way through, Claudia shares her memories of her time in Egypt as a journalist during WWII. This is the pivotal point in her life, but after 30 pages of it, I put Moon Tiger aside and read three other books. When I picked it up, I went back to where Lively had lost me and started again. Part of it might be that I’ve read my fill of WWII stories, but even knowing this section was important, I didn’t enjoy the book again until she went back to life in Europe. I also found her WWII lover’s diary at the end pretty boring. I trust this is just my aversion to WWII stories, and won’t have anything to do with other reader’s tastes. Despite finding the book uneven, I still think it was worthy of the Booker Prize in 1987.

Recommended for: fiction writers, who need to study her point of view techniques, literature lovers and people who want to read the Booker Prize winners, and readers who like non-linear, subtle novels.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars. I look forward to reading more from Penelope Lively.

Why I Read This Now: I’m reading all the new-to-me authors in my TBR pile who are named “Penelope.” (Penelope Lively, Penelope Fitzgerald, and Penelope Evans—check!) and I’m reading all the Bookers in my TBR pile.

47baswood
Juin 21, 2013, 5:51 pm

Excellent review of Moon Tiger Joyce. I read it some time ago, probably back in the 1980's and remember not being entirely convinced.

48Nickelini
Juin 21, 2013, 8:31 pm

and remember not being entirely convinced.

I'm intrigued . . . what do you mean by that?

49baswood
Juin 22, 2013, 5:24 pm

If only I had written reviews then on LT I would be able to tell you.

50Nickelini
Juin 22, 2013, 6:12 pm

Ha ha!

51rebeccanyc
Juin 23, 2013, 9:37 am

49 Exactly how I feel!

52Nickelini
Juin 23, 2013, 1:53 pm

More on the faceless cover (these ones all show backs, which I guess is the latest twist on the style): http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/23/books/review/show-some-spine.html?ref=review&a...



from the article:

"And editors, according to Julianna Lee, an art director at Little, Brown & Company, often explicitly instruct designers not to show a woman’s face: “A little bit of mystery allows the reader to use their imagination,” she says. Furthermore, omitting individualizing details spares jacket designers from the charge (by authors and readers) that they haven’t rendered characters faithfully. Even when depicted from the front, headless women are common on covers. It’s worth noting, too, that it can be difficult for writers to combat these pressures; the publishing house has the book’s best interests at heart — who are writers to object if they’re less than happy with the design? "

53Cariola
Juin 23, 2013, 2:53 pm

I've also noticed lately that the books that DO show a woman's face on the cover tend to be fantasy, crime, or romances (usually with a nuzzling guy in the background in the latter case).



But then, all those "Highlander" books feature headless male torsos on the covers; for example:

54Nickelini
Juin 25, 2013, 5:02 pm

Why haven't I noticed these Highlander books before. Not sure how I missed that.

55Nickelini
Juin 25, 2013, 5:09 pm

42. the Sky People, Patricia Grace, 1994


Cover comments: I pretty much like any cover done with intense blues, so I like this one too.

Comments: The Sky People is a collection of short stories by Maori writer Patricia Grace. Most of them concern Maoris who live in modern day New Zealand and are at the low side of the socioeconomic ladder.

I was disappointed with most of the stories. Grace writes in a cryptic style with many unexplained point of view changes, changes in voice, and unusual words and sentence structures. I got the feeling the author was saying "if you don't understand me, I'm not going to explain it to you." Of the stories that were a little more straight forward, I still had trouble determining the point of the story. Despite this, a few of the short stories were really excellent. My favourite was "Ngati Kangaru" where a Maori family launches a plan to take back New Zealand using the same methods Europeans used to conquer it themselves. Funny and clever.

Recommended for: someone looking for Maori literature.

Rating: 3 stars

Why I Read This Now: Time for something different. Got to shake it up a little.

56rebeccanyc
Juin 25, 2013, 5:29 pm

I was disappointed by the Patricia Grace novel I read some years ago, Potiki. Since it was before I started writing reviews on LT, I don't remember exactly why I didn't like it as much as I hoped to.

57Nickelini
Juin 25, 2013, 5:38 pm

I hear she uses a lot of untranslated Maori words in that one, which would make it a difficult read. She did that a little in this one, but I just found her writing style really disjointed. I will try her again, but I'm not in any hurry.

58rachbxl
Juin 26, 2013, 2:29 am

I've enjoyed catching up - lovely reviews of some great books, as ever. I've downloaded Kindle samples of Where'd You Go, Bernadette (am always on the lookout for lighter reads that are still worth reading) and Sointula (I'm intrigued) - and thanks for reminding me about Patricia Grace, even if you (and Rebecca) weren't bowled over. I've been meaning to get to her for a while.

59janeajones
Juin 26, 2013, 3:15 pm

Joyce -- I thought of you when I picked up that NYTBR and saw the back page.

60Nickelini
Modifié : Juil 1, 2013, 1:14 pm

43. 50 Popular Beliefs That People Think are True, Guy P. Harrison, 2012


Cover comments: whatever--it works.

Comments: Skeptical journalist Harrison writes fifty short essays on different things that are widely believed but are unsupported by scientific evidence. He covers a range of topics, from Magical Thinking (mostly paranormal ideas), various alien-related topics, science and medicine (global warming, "Biological Races are Real," "No Vaccines for my Baby!"), religion, bizarre beings (ghosts, Bigfoot), weird places (Bermuda Triangle), and the end of the world.

I've enjoyed reading this book over the last six months, picking it up and reading an essay or two at a time. I think reading it all at once would be too much and it would get annoying. The whole book can basically be condensed down to: "using the scientific method, there is no evidence to support ______ belief." That doesn't make this book unnecessary or useless, as it's a good example of using critical thinking skills in a variety of situations. Also, I found specific essays very helpful--the one that stands out the most is "A Psychic Read My Mind," because I have too many friends who have actually paid money to psychics and think they provide a valuable service. This essay shows how psychics are 100% scammers, but now I have information to back up what I felt in my gut.

Overall, I found Harrison's tone kind and respectful, unless he's talking about people who murder children in Africa because they believe them to be witches, or televangelists who fly on private jets while taking money from poor people. And he shows how even intelligent and educated people can be led into believing things that make no sense. So, in the end, a worthwhile read, but not one to take in one big gulp.

Recommended for: I think this might be one of those books that appeals most to the already-skeptical reader, but I hope not. I hope that someone who believes "Astrology is Scientific," will read this too. And I highly recommend it if you're tired of hearing your Uncle Len tell you that the moon landing was faked, or you have a co-worker who tells you that they found Noah's ark (again), or your best friend from grade 8 keeps posting stuff about aliens in Area 51 on your Facebook feed.

Rating 4 stars

61baswood
Juil 1, 2013, 2:31 pm

Sounds like you found those essays convincing. I like what you say about Harrison's tone being kind and respectful and I also like the idea of gathering up armaments to combat the persistent weird and flakeys. I think I might like this book.

62rebeccanyc
Juil 1, 2013, 4:46 pm

That does sound like a useful book, although as you and Barry say mostly for having ammunition for the unconvinced. Nonetheless, I tend to think they're beyond hope!

63Nickelini
Juil 1, 2013, 7:38 pm

having ammunition for the unconvinced. Nonetheless, I tend to think they're beyond hope!

Unfortunately, often you're exactly right. However, some people do change. I know I used to believe things that I don't believe in any more.

64rebeccanyc
Juil 2, 2013, 7:23 am

I know I used to believe things that I don't believe in any more.

Yes, but you're a thoughtful person, Joyce! And apparently an optimist too!

65Nickelini
Juil 2, 2013, 12:06 pm

44. We are the Weather Makers, Tim Flannery, 2006 (Canadian edition 2007)


Polar bear on a small iceberg-- poster child for climate change

Comments: This is a 250 page summary of the issues of climate change (as of 2006). I've read a lot about on these subjects, so this book was more of a refresher course for me, with some different (and very interesting) stories and illustrations. Flannery takes some pretty dense and complex information and makes it easy to understand and interesting to read about. He is Australian and uses a broad range of examples from around the world--not just the US, which is a refreshing change from the typical US-centric stuff that seems to fall into my hands. My Canadian edition has a forward by David Suzuki and an extensive resource list.

The book is a "concise and revised edition" of the author's the Weather Makers, written for "for readers age 12 and up." There are three sentences in the final chapter directed at non-adults, otherwise there is nothing about the writing that is particularly directed at a young audience, so don't let the "young adult" tags scare you off this book if you're otherwise interested.

Recommended for: anyone looking for a crash course on climate change. I hope that Flannery updates this book, because some of the information and statistics are dated.

Rating: This is a difficult book to rate because the information wasn't new to me, and because some of it is dated. For what I got out of it, I'm giving it 3 stars, but for someone else this could be a 5 star book.

Why I Read This Now: I was in the mood for some non-fiction, and this was physically at the top of the pile.

66mkboylan
Juil 2, 2013, 7:30 pm

60 - Heck just the table of contents must be fun reading.

Weather Makers sounds like it would be helpful for my understanding of that topic. AND it would fill in a blank on my Dewey challenge!

67Nickelini
Modifié : Juil 8, 2013, 10:03 pm

45. Literary London: a Street by Street Exploration of the Capital's Literary Heritage, Ed Glinert, 2007


Cover comments: okay, not highbrow art or anything, but does this say "literary" and "London"? Yes, yes it does. Enough said.

Comments: The author figuratively walks through London and identifies the literary significance of different areas and addresses. This book is very thick with references to George Orwell and those coming before him, a little light on those after (although a fair amount of Iain Sinclair and Peter Ackroyd), but the author acknowledges this and reasonably excuses it with appeals to space limitations. I have to admit I didn't read every word of this book, but I did read all the parts that were interesting or relevant to me. And there were some really interesting and gruesome vignettes!

What I really liked about this book is that he covers all of Greater London--not just the touristy bits around Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, and Hyde Park. He has organized it geographically by the capital's postal districts. There is also an author index.

Recommended for: this is a must-have reference for any lover of literature who is going to spend some time in London.

Why I Read This Now: it's been in my TBR for a while, and I pulled it out to prepare for my upcoming trip to London.

Rating: 4 stars

68Nickelini
Modifié : Juil 10, 2013, 2:08 pm

46. The Inheritance of Loss, Kiran Desai, 2006


What a terrible cover! I asked my husband what he thought the book was about based on it, and he said "sex," to which I said, "not three people in northern India trying to survive the Nepalese insurgency while a fourth character is struggling to get a foothold in NYC?" There's a faint little Mendhi sort of design at the bottom, but otherwise there is nothing remotely Indian about this. Probably the worst cover I've come across this year.

Comments: It is 1986 and in the foothills of the Himalayas lives a retired Judge, his granddaughter, and his cook. The cook's only son is trying to scratch out a better life in NYC. They get caught up in the unrest as the Nepalese in the area attempt to break away from India.

Desai's writing is absolutely gorgeous. She crafts her story in vignettes, and I found each of these interesting, although together they added up to a somewhat plotless novel. As with every story of India, there is disturbing unfairness and sad events; however, The Inheritance of Loss was not as distressing as some other Indian books I've read. She paints a rather enchanting picture of this corner of the country--full of exotic butterflies, colourful flowers, and oriental spices. Overall I found this a romanticized view of India.



Recommended for: readers who like books set in India have to read this one for sure.

Rating: No doubt this is a quality novel, so I'm giving it 4 stars. I have to admit though that I was never really in the mood to read it and had to make myself pick it up--this, however, is because my mind is elsewhere, and not a fault of the book itself.

Why I Read This Now: It won the Booker, was nominated for the Orange, is on the 1001 Books list, and was loaned to me in 2010.

69NanaCC
Juil 10, 2013, 1:43 pm

Your review interests me. You're right though, that cover would never have given any idea of the book's content. I hate when they do that.

70baswood
Juil 10, 2013, 2:21 pm

The picture you posted Joyce would have made a better picture. Have a great trip to London.

India is a land of contrasts and I am never surprised when I read about stuff happening there. I agree you have to be in the right mood for a plotless novel.

71rebeccanyc
Juil 10, 2013, 2:40 pm

I know I didn't like The Inheritance of Loss, but I read it so long ago I don't remember why!

72Nickelini
Juil 10, 2013, 2:42 pm

Rebecca -- perhaps because it made you think "where is this going?" or "what is the point?" . . . although I guess it had a point and did go somewhere, it was all sort of obscure until the end (for me, anyway).

73mkboylan
Juil 10, 2013, 5:06 pm

great comments about the cover!

74lauralkeet
Juil 11, 2013, 8:04 am

I've been paying much more attention to covers since you began commenting on yours. I agree that one is a complete mismatch.

75StevenTX
Juil 12, 2013, 9:29 am

I was in London for just three days last month and didn't have any free time to explore it on my own, but our tour guide was a person who conducts literary tours and on every street was pointing out where this writer had lived or where that novel took place. It was overwhelming. I hope you have a great trip.

It's been a number of years but I enjoyed The Inheritance of Loss when I read it. That generic chick lit cover is terrible, though.

76kidzdoc
Juil 13, 2013, 1:36 pm

Nice review of Literary London, Joyce. I'll keep me eyes peeled for it.

I still haven't read The Inheritance of Loss. One of these days...

I hope that we can meet up in London in a couple of weeks!

77dchaikin
Juil 14, 2013, 10:06 pm

My wife has been trying to talk me into a family trip to London next summer...I've put Literary London on the wishlist, although I think the appeal will be mostly mine, and not the rest of the family's.

I'm catching up on a number of reviews here. Great review of Sointula. It sounds too regional for my interests, unless I get there someday. I'll pass on Moon Tiger, but I'm very interested in The Sky People, and happy to learn about it.

Intrigued by 50 popular beliefs, but tend to agree with Rebecca. People with believe anything and won't budge. And if you contradict them, they simply identify you as someone uncomfortable to deal with. For example, Global Warming...I read The Weather Makers a few years ago and found it striking, and it left me wondering why we aren't doing anything...and I really should read more updated information, but I'm not a very responsible reader.

78Nickelini
Juil 16, 2013, 4:43 pm

#77 Dan -- and you're opposing your wife why?

79Nickelini
Juil 16, 2013, 5:06 pm

47. Rick Steves' London, Rick Steves


Yep, that's a Rick Steve's book cover. Not sure the photo is exactly iconic of London (since I can't even tell you what it is), but I guess he has to change it up every year.

Comments:

Rick Steves travel books in general: Steves writes travel books directed at a US audience, only about Europe, and with a defined philosophy that he calls "Through the Back Door." That philosophy is basically that to see the real Europe, you do better traveling "close to the ground." Do what the locals do, avoid tourist traps, celebrate diversity, stay positive, don't be an ugly American (except he says that last bit in a nicer way, cause if there is one thing about Rick, he's a NICE guy). If your executive assistant is booking you a room at a Four Seasons hotel in Europe, his books aren't for you. If you have no imagination, his books aren't for you.

It seems that a lot of people know him better from his PBS series "Travels in Europe." Those episodes are terrific, but I find him a bit of an uber-dork on screen. He's much cooler in print.

Specifically, Rick Steves' London 2013: in preparation for my upcoming trip, I thought I'd read through this book once. Half-way through I was wondering why it was taking me so long, and only then did I realize that the book is 631 pages. He disguises it well with thin paper. This means the book is small enough to carry with me, but big enough to contain a wealth of information. Obviously with a city the size of London, he can't cover everything, but there's a lot more in here than the typical book that covers The Tower of London-Buckingham Palace-Herrods-The British Museum (which he covers in great detail).

Great info, great advice, as I expect from him. The suggestions aren't always the cheapest, but he's more about value for your money. As always, he tells you if a sight, no matter how famous, is worth your time and money or not.

Recommended for: I've trusted Steves on my four earlier trips to Europe, and he hasn't steered me wrong yet. Unless you're traveling without a budget, or you just want to follow the crowd, if you buy one London guide book, make it this one. The only caveat I'd add is that he really does speak to a US audience, and a few things don't even apply to Canadians--we know how to pronounce "Z" for example ;-)

Why I Read This Now: I'm going to London soon!

Rating: 4.5 stars. I guess to make it a 5 star book I'd like to see glossy colour photos. But really, I can get those elsewhere.

80detailmuse
Juil 16, 2013, 5:32 pm

>Canadians--we know how to pronounce "Z" for example ;-)
haha I know mostly because of audio of Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?

I'm liking Rick Steves less and less on TV so I'm glad to hear he has books.

Have a great trip!

81NanaCC
Juil 16, 2013, 5:52 pm

My daughter and her family did a whirlwind trip to London for a long weekend in January. She had a 4 year old and a six year old in tow. She said one of the highlights for the kids was Ripley's Believe It Or Not. The older one told me that she also liked the Bloody Tower. :)

Enjoy your trip. There is so much to see.

82baswood
Juil 16, 2013, 6:09 pm

Enjoy your trip to my home town.

83Nickelini
Juil 16, 2013, 6:45 pm

I didn't know that was your home town, Barry. But thanks--I always enjoy London.

84Nickelini
Juil 16, 2013, 9:18 pm

I'm liking Rick Steves less and less on TV so I'm glad to hear he has books.

I've been using Rick Steves' books since 1992, and I've always liked him better in print than on TV. To me he's like two different people (though maybe similar--just different vibes).

85Cariola
Juil 16, 2013, 10:28 pm

Yeah, on TV, he's kind of like an irritating youth pastor.

86Nickelini
Juil 16, 2013, 11:07 pm

Yes, Deborah! I usually refer to him as a dorky Lutheran youth minister.

87VivienneR
Juil 16, 2013, 11:44 pm

I love London. I like it best when I'm travelling alone (my husband is not a good traveller). Next time I go I'll take Rick Steves' book with me.

Glad to hear others express what are also my thoughts about Rick. I was so glad when he at last got rid of the aviator glasses. They were so outdated they didn't do his image any good.

88kidzdoc
Modifié : Juil 17, 2013, 3:26 am

Ha! I grew up in a Lutheran church, so the Lutheran youth minister description of Rick Steves is spot on. I do like Rick Steves' Europe, though.

I had a very enjoyable (and long!) day with four other LTers yesterday, all members of the 75 Books club, which was filled with great conversation and good food, and included visits to the Victoria & Albert Museum and two bookshops in South Kensington, Slightly Foxed on Gloucester Road, and South Kensington Books close to the South Kensington tube station. I've posted information about the meet up on my 75 Books thread, and I'll copy it to my Club Read thread now.

BTW it's unusually hot in London this week, with high temps in the low 30s C (upper 80s to near 90 F) every day this week so far. Genny (gennyt) says that this is the hottest July in the UK in the past seven years, and it's easily much warmer than in my previous five summertime trips to London.

89Helenliz
Juil 18, 2013, 1:51 am

Enjoy London. It's a fabulous place, although it is very easy to get sucked into the tourist trap and not see anything that isn't already mobbed by a thousand million other backpacked tourists.

It's unusually hot in the rest of the UK too, if we're honest! This is summer like those rose tinted summers of childhood, which were hot and long and we played outside for months. And yes, we're complaining about it >:-) 'Tis traditional, y'know.

90DieFledermaus
Juil 18, 2013, 2:05 am

Heh - Rick Steves actually goes to my friend's (Lutheran) church. Glad to hear that his books are worthwhile.

And agreeing with all the comments above about the horrible cover for The Inheritance of Loss.

91Nickelini
Modifié : Juil 18, 2013, 11:44 am

Helen - We've done the required tourist traps of London, and on this longer trip we're branching out and seeing new stuff!

DieFledermaus -- that's too funny! I didn't actually know he was Lutheran. It's just his vibe.

92Nickelini
Modifié : Juil 19, 2013, 1:34 pm

48. A Long Way Down, Nick Hornby, 2005

Cover comments: Hardback without a dust jacket--black with "Nick Hornby" written vertically in blue. Nice for a plain black cover ;-)

Comments: Four very different people meet on the rooftop of a building in North London on New Years Eve where they have each had the same idea of committing suicide. They form a sort of dysfunctional support group.

I've never read Hornby before, but I've seen films of his books About a Boy and Fever Pitch, both of which I enjoyed. Hornby has a gift for creating clever, heart-felt, unique, and very funny characters and situations. I particularly enjoyed the use of multiple narrators to tell this story because each of them had a different take on the situation. One character, Jess (an 18 year old girl), is a selfish spoiled brat, but her character is balanced by Maureen--a lovely soul--who has spent the past 20 years caring for her severely disabled son.

Recommended for: humour is subjective, so I'm sure some readers can't stand Hornby. I found him to be a delight to read. It's not often that you find intelligence and humour wrapped up in one book.

Why I Read This Now: I was in the mood for something different, and also something set in London. Perfect choice in that regard.

Rating: 4 stars

Also: There is a film version of A Long Way Down coming out later this year. Toni Collette (who played the hippy trippy mom in About a Boy) will play Maureen, and Pierce Brosnan will play Martin. Pretty good casting, I think. I'm looking forward to this.

93avidmom
Juil 19, 2013, 1:49 pm

I loved A Long Way Down. Just the idea of it is funny to me, in a sad sort of way. Glad it's coming out as a movie.

94NanaCC
Juil 19, 2013, 2:02 pm

Joyce, I listened to the audiobook of A Long Way Down a year or more ago. The narrators were Scott Brick, Simon Vance and Kate Reading. I remember really enjoying it. It should be an interesting film.

95lauralkeet
Juil 19, 2013, 2:51 pm

I loved About a Boy -- the movie more than the book, I think. The kid who played Marcus is all grown up now, and starred in Skins. High Fidelity, with John Cusack, is another good film based on a Hornby novel.

96Nickelini
Juil 19, 2013, 4:17 pm

I loved A Long Way Down. Just the idea of it is funny to me, in a sad sort of way.

I agree. Some people would say that the topic of suicide is just not funny, but he tackles it with not only humour, but sensitivity and grace. On the other hand, one thing that I can never find funny is concentration camps. Hated, hated, hated the movie Life is Beautiful.

The kid who played Marcus is all grown up now, and starred in Skins. High Fidelity, with John Cusack, is another good film based on a Hornby novel.

Nicholas Holt - yes, my 16 year old is a huge fan and follows his career. He's turned into a nice looking young man.

I will look for the John Cusack movie. His stuff is usually worth watching.

97Nickelini
Juil 22, 2013, 11:54 am

49. The Small Hand, Susan Hill, 2010


Cover comments: gorgeous cover that suits the book perfectly

Comments: Driving through the violet twilight in Sussex, Adam Snow takes some wrong turns and ends up at an abandoned Edwardian mansion with expansive overgrown gardens. A small hand slips into his, and his dizzying and strange experience begins.

The Small Hand is a ghost story set in current times but it's written with an old-fashioned feeling that I rather like. Snow is an antiquarian book dealer, and the subplot of his finding a Shakespeare First Folio and traveling to a monastery high in the French mountains was actually more interesting to me than the ghost story itself. I have to say I don't scare easily in either books or film, and I didn't find this book scary at all, or even creepy. Still, it was an entertaining and quick read.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Recommended for: if you think you might like it, give it a try.

Why I Read This Now: Wanted to read one of the several Susan Hill books in my TBR.

98NanaCC
Juil 22, 2013, 12:33 pm

I have The Woman in Black on my Kindle, but haven't read it. The Small Hand sounds interesting too.

99Nickelini
Juil 22, 2013, 12:39 pm

I preferred The Woman in Black, but The Small Hand wasn't a waste of time.

100RidgewayGirl
Juil 22, 2013, 2:11 pm

Catching up. I've found the Rick Steves' books to be best for the out of the way places. We've had great vacations at more than a few of those -- and we'll be going back to a few over the next two years.

London is a pretty good place for kids. The dinosaurs and animal exhibits at the Natural History Museum (across the street from the V&A) is excellent, as is the London Eye and taking a bus and sitting at the front on the top. The Cutty Sark is also great for young imaginations. My problem with big European cities is that where I want to go is very different from where my kids want to go.

101Nickelini
Juil 22, 2013, 3:04 pm

Alison - yes, Steves is best at those out of the way places, isn't he! Without him we never would have gone to Civita di Bagnoregio

Even my husband's family, who only live about 2 hours away didn't know about it!

As for our trip to London, I'm happy that my girls are in their teens and grown out of kid-popular type sites. Yay! Our tastes are pretty similar--Camden Town market, British Museum and Library, just hanging out. However, we sprang for tickets for the Harry Potter studio tour, which I wouldn't have done on my own. We did the big things and the hop on hop off bus in 2009 and no one wants to do them again. My older daughter was already in London in March, so she'll be showing me around this time! She's already figured out how to get out to Thamesmead so we can walk around the filming location for the TV show The Misfits, seen here:



So I expect this will be more of a geek tour of London than a touristy one.

102NanaCC
Juil 22, 2013, 4:59 pm

>101 Nickelini: Geek or tourist, it sounds wonderful!

103Nickelini
Modifié : Juil 24, 2013, 2:53 am

50. What a Carve Up!, Jonathan Coe, 1994 (read by Colin Buchanan)


Cover comments: my audio book didn't come with an image, so I don't have a cover to actually comment on. It appears that this should have been the audio version cover, and although aesthetically I don't like it, it does actually fit the book perfectly (this picture is a scene from an early 60s film that is repeated throughout the book).

Comments: What a fun and unusual book. Part mystery, part satire, part state-of-the-nation, part revenge fantasy. Touching, and even heart-breaking -- What a Carve Up! has it all. The sprawling novel begins with several vignettes about members of the Winshaws, who must be one of the wealthiest and nastiest families in Thatcher-era Britain. Then we meet the main narrator, Michael Owen, who has been hired to write a biography of the family by the loony aunt who has been locked away. His life intersects with the Winshaws in both predictable and surprising ways.

I listened to this audio book mostly while I was watering my garden or pulling weeds, and there were many times I laughed out loud. My neighbours must think I'm daft.

Rating: 4.5 stars. I loved this book but didn't give it a full 5 stars because at times the political message was a titch heavy-handed (even when I agreed with him).

Recommended for: Smart, fun people. It is very British though, and I know some people just don't appreciate that brand of humour.

Why I Read This Now: Judging by the reviews, I'm not the only person unfamiliar with this book and this author. If it wasn't for the 1001 Books list, I'd never have known about this gem. And so when I saw it available at the library's audiobook queue, I nabbed it. Will be looking for more books by Jonathan Coe.

104baswood
Juil 24, 2013, 4:34 am

I have not read any Jonathan Coe. From your review I think I might like him.

105NanaCC
Juil 24, 2013, 7:47 am

>103 Nickelini: What a Carve Up! sounds like my cup of tea, Joyce. And, Audible has it. I have been trying to decide how to spend my next credit. Very timely review. Thank you!

106StevenTX
Juil 24, 2013, 9:45 am

I've seen other enthusiastic reviews of What a Carve Up! recently, so I'm looking forward to reading it myself.

My copy is an American edition titled The Winshaw Legacy with "What a Carve Up" as a subtitle.

107Nickelini
Juil 24, 2013, 1:39 pm

#104 - 106 -- Looking forward to your thoughts on What a Carve Up!. Hope you like it as much as I did.

108torontoc
Juil 29, 2013, 10:28 am

enjoy London!
I am using Rick Steves books for my next trip in Oct .

109Nickelini
Août 8, 2013, 1:41 am

I'm about to go to bed at home in Vancouver, where it is 10:17PM. But this morning I woke up around 7:30 AM London, England time, so for me it's actually 6:17 tomorrow morning. Don't expect much from this post. For now I will list the books I bought on my trip:

Brick Lane, Monica Ali (bought early in my trip because it's been on my wish list forever, and I thought we'd get to that area of London--didn't happen--and also because I liked the cover as it was different from what is available at the stores around here.

The Bottle Factory Outing, Beryl Bainbridge (another from my wishlist that hadn't been easily available online. I'm sure it is now)

How England Made the English: From Why We Drive on the Left to Why We Don't Talk to Our Neighbours, Harry Mount (well, we were sitting in the Pizza Express at Leadenhall Market, and I saw a Waterstones, and hadn't been in a bookshop yet, and it had been days, and while I let my husband pay the bill . . . yada, yada, . . . I also found him a book about the Tour de France and drugging and now everyone is happy.)

Vermeer and Music, National Gallery - the catalouge for the current exhibit. I'm a HUGE Vermeer fan, so this was a must-have.

London Place Names, Caroline Taggart - saw this at the book shop at Kings Cross after we'd been in London for a few days and thought it might answer some of my questions.

Later in the trip I walked into the Daunt Books in Cheapside, and found Capital by John Lanchester, which just seemed perfect, and then I remembered that my LT friend JudyLou had made me interested in it, so obviously I had to buy it. I also checked out their excellent Local section and found several interesting books about the London Underground aka Tube. After consultation with the clerk, I purchased Underground Overground: a Passenger's History of the Tube. Turns out the clerk was born and lived most of his life here in Vancouver. I wanted to ask him how he can work in a book store and live in London, but I didn't. When I met up with my husband, he asked the same question. Any London booksellers can speak up at this point.

Then we went to Sussex, and Monk's House, which is Virginia Woolf's house and museum. There I purchased:

Stroll the South Downs, National Trust. Just because I'm fascinated with the footpaths of rural England.
Bloomsbury in Sussex, Simon Watney
A Tour Along the Sussex Coast, David Arscott

Okay, that was exhausting. I was tired of traveling and all it entails, and it's good to be home, but I'm sad that London is now a memory.

110NanaCC
Août 8, 2013, 6:57 am

I remember reading and liking Brick Lane when I read it years ago. Looking forward to your long post once you get the jet lag out of your system.

111kidzdoc
Modifié : Août 8, 2013, 7:06 am

Great book haul, Joyce! I want to re-read Brick Lane, as I don't remember much about it. How England Made the English sounds interesting, and Underground, Overground has been on my wish list since the beginning of the year. I hope to read Capital soon. I just finished reading Lanchester's book What We Talk About When We Talk About the Tube: The District Line, which is part of Penguin's Underground Lines series that was published this year to honor the Underground's 150th anniversary. It was superb; I'll review it later this week.

I'm glad to hear that you and your family had a good time in London, and I look forward to reading more about your trip. I found out yesterday that I'll be off from October 10-23, so I'll make a return visit to London then.

112rebeccanyc
Août 8, 2013, 7:06 am

I bought The Bottle Factory Outing when I was on my Bainbridge-buying kick but haven't read it yet. Will be interested in your review.

113Cariola
Août 8, 2013, 3:37 pm

Welcome back, Joyce! Can't wait to hear more about your trip.

I really liked Brick Lane, although the ending didn't quite work for me. I haven't read any of the other books you purchased, but Vermeer and Music would be right up my alley. Did you get to the exhibit?

114Nickelini
Août 8, 2013, 5:53 pm

Did you get to the exhibit?

Yes and I dragged Nina along with me too. There was some great educational info on the walls at the end of the exhibit about what they found under close microscopic scrutiny of one of the paintings. I was hoping it was included in the catalogue, but alas it isn't.

115Nickelini
Août 9, 2013, 1:31 am

I will post info and photos from my trip tomorrow. For tonight, one last book I bought but forgot to log. It's one that I'm the only owner on LT, although I would bet that hundreds, if not thousands, of LTers own this:

London A-Z -- London Street Atlas (and for any non-Commonwealth people out there, the second letter there is pronounced Zed!!). I had planned to pick up one of these anyway, but the afternoon that Nina and I got lost in Thamesmede, I found one of these in a gas station (what do you call that in the UK? Service station? Petrol place?), found the page of our general area, and asked the cashier, "where are we on this map, please?!" Thank goodness I spoke the language. Six pounds fifty well spent.

116Helenliz
Août 9, 2013, 3:20 am

Sounds like you had a good time. The galleries and museums is one of the major things I miss about living in London. The traffic and having to commute on the underground ever day - not so much.

An AtoZ is indeed essential. Although,as I can't imagine ever "reading" it in the conventional sense, mine will remain unadded.

A Gas station is usually a petrol station or garage, unless it's on a motorway or other large road, when it may be described as a services - although that would also be thought to include any other amenities that were co-located.
Happy to help confuse anyone at any time. >;-)

117rachbxl
Août 9, 2013, 4:17 am

Glad you had a good time!

I just read your comments on What a Carve Up!; I recently read Coe's House of Sleep, another crazily fun novel (very clever and well-written as well) which made me laugh out loud (although as I was reading it and not watering my plants, I worry less about the neighbours!) I was interested to note what you say about the very British humour - as a Brit, I did wonder about that. I love it, but I know that not everyone does (Rebecca!)

118baswood
Août 9, 2013, 7:28 am

I used to regularly buy updated copies of the London A to Z. It was essential when trying to find places or friends addresses as there is no rhyme or reason to London's street layout.

119mkboylan
Août 9, 2013, 9:34 am

So glad you got to go and had a great time.

When you're catching up, don't miss Polaris' review of Road to Valor. Your husband may enjoy just reading the review.

120kidzdoc
Août 9, 2013, 9:36 am

Yep. The A to Z Atlas is all but essential for the infrequent visitor or those who are exploring new neighborhoods, due to the layout of the streets and the frequency with which the street names change. I carry the London Mini Street Atlas (mini A to Z) in my bag whenever I'm out and about in the capital.

Looking forward to your photos and descriptions!

121Nickelini
Août 9, 2013, 10:29 am

Looking forward to your photos and descriptions!

Me too! I'm currently trying to upload them to photobucket and Facebook and both sites are having problems. If anyone has a quicker solution (the goal is to post my pictures here), let me know.

122Nickelini
Août 9, 2013, 10:30 am

When you're catching up, don't miss Polaris' review of Road to Valor. Your husband may enjoy just reading the review.

Thanks for pointing that out--I'll buy him a copy for Christmas. Maybe one for his brother too (he's also a bit of a WWII geek).

123Nickelini
Août 9, 2013, 10:30 am

A Gas station is usually a petrol station or garage, unless it's on a motorway or other large road, when it may be described as a services - although that would also be thought to include any other amenities that were co-located.
Happy to help confuse anyone at any time. >;-)


Thanks!

124Nickelini
Août 9, 2013, 10:34 am

I was interested to note what you say about the very British humour - as a Brit, I did wonder about that. I love it, but I know that not everyone does (Rebecca!)

I find a lot of Canadians enjoy British humour. I was also laughing out loud to Alan Partridge (Steve Coogan) on the flight home and drew some sideways looks from my family who were playing a game. Mum laughing out-loud on airplanes can be embarrassing I guess.

125mkboylan
Août 9, 2013, 11:28 am

ask them if it's as embarrassing as whenI'm uses her credit.card and starts laughing and says "they fell for it again!"

or when she wears her condom earrings to their school (used to do HIV education)

126rebeccanyc
Août 9, 2013, 11:43 am

#117 I keep trying, Rachel, but . . .

127Nickelini
Août 9, 2013, 12:12 pm

#125 - Merrikay, that's hilarious!

#126 - Okay, Rebecca, a daily dose of Monty Python, Fawlty Towers, Absolutely Fabulous, Ricky Gervais, and then some Wallace & Gromit. Mr Bean is optional.

128RidgewayGirl
Août 9, 2013, 12:58 pm

>125 mkboylan: Your Mom sounds awesome.

>127 Nickelini: Mr Bean is not optional.

129Nickelini
Août 9, 2013, 12:59 pm

Joyce's London Report, part I


At Leicester Sq our first morning--I'm in pink.

We really got around during out trip. Because I booked so last minute, we had to move hotels a few times, which I viewed as a positive thing as it gave us a chance to get to know different areas of the city. We explored from Hammersmith in the southwest to Watford in the northwest, and Thamesmead in the east.

Touristy places

The British Museum, where we went specifically to look at the Sutton Hoo artifacts. A billion other people were there, but it's still a must-see.

Camden Town -- my daughters love to shop here. We went twice.

Regents Park, Hyde Park, St. James Park -- love to take some downtime in the parks, and there is lots of room to spread out so it doesn't feel too crowded and touristy. Plus there are so many locals using the parks anyway.


In Hyde Park on a really hot day

Portobello Market -- Saturday is supposed to be the day to attend, but there were a billion and a half people there. It was okay when we started at the Ladbroke Grove end, but soon got unbearable and we bailed. Going on a Saturday was bad advice.

Tate Modern -- my husband Fab really enjoys modern art. Mostly he enjoys being silly and making jokes about it. Anyway, when we walked over the Millennium Bridge, we thought we might as well take in the museum. I actually wasn't impressed and don't think it compares to the Museum of Modern Art in NYC at all.


Fab & Charlotte walking over the Millennium Bridge, St Paul's in the background.

Warner Brothers Harry Potter Studio Tour -- a very expensive event that didn't interest me much, but the girls LOVED it. The whole place is a huge cash grab though. I'm sure the place makes a profit of about a million pounds a day.

Victoria & Albert Museum -- wandered in our last afternoon in London as it was a couple of blocks from our hotel. What a fabulous museum! Hard to describe, but I will definitely return and go through more areas. We concentrated on the Tudor through Victorian British wing.

We went for dinner one night at Sticky Fingers, which is Bill Wyman's restaurant in Holland Park. Basically it's a small Hard Rock Cafe, but a must see if you're a big Rolling Stones fan I guess.

130rebeccanyc
Modifié : Août 9, 2013, 1:01 pm

#127 I do love Fawlty Towers and some of Monty Python; it's the kind of humor I found in books like The Finkler Question and The Cloudspotter's Guide, among others, that I just couldn't get into.

131lauralkeet
Modifié : Août 9, 2013, 1:18 pm

>115 Nickelini:: oh, I have a London AtoZ(ed) that's about 10 years old. It's a work of genius. I love maps in general but for some reason that one really appeals to me. I might just have to pull it out and read it tonight. :)

132Nickelini
Août 9, 2013, 1:21 pm

Joyce's London Report, Part II


A street close to our second hotel in Limehouse

Non-touristy things

Regent's Canal -- wandered from Camden Market to Regent's Park via the canal. A terrifically interesting and pleasant walk.

Lloyd's of London tour -- this was actually a highlight, even though it has to do with insurance. Fab has a business colleague who was able to give us a private tour. We had to go through security clearance just to enter the building (you're not allowed in unless you have business there) and Fab had to wear a tie and jacket (the second which we had to borrow from the cloak room!). Lloyds began by working with the shipping industry in the 1700s, so they had all sorts of historical documents and artifacts on display, including Horatio Nelson's log book. Architecturally, the building is very interesting as well. It was done by the person who did the Pompidou in Paris, so similar style in some ways. The inside was more impressive than the outside. It was also fun to be riding up the glass elevator while the peasants tourists outside took pictures of us. What can I say? Sometimes I like to be exclusive. BTW, Lloyd's of London has no connection to Lloyds Bank.

British Library -- one might think this is a touristy thing, but it wasn't the rainy morning we were there. Most people seemed to be there for a specific purpose and it really wasn't crowded. It was cool to see Beowulf, Jane Austen's writing table and notebook, Shakespeare First Folio, Magna Carta, and so on, but what surprised me were some of the historical documents they had on display from Queen Elizaberh I (off with his head!), Napoleon, and Darwin. My favourite museum gift shop.

Vermeer exhibit, National Gallery -- it was quite the morning we visited. I "collect" Vermeers (bucket list to see them all). Then we went to the main part of the National Gallery which was more touristy and crowded, but completely worth it. One of the world's top art museums.

Hampstead Heath -- we were finished with Westminster sights at 5 one afternoon so hopped a train up to Hampstead Heath. I'd like to explore this area more. Went for a great Thai dinner. Nina plans to live here when she moves to London.


Nina at Hampstead Heath, pointing at The Shard, which you can see from everywhere.

Still to come: Thamesmede, the Mrs Dalloway walk, and the south (Sussex and Kent).

133Nickelini
Août 9, 2013, 1:25 pm

Rebecca - oh, you're not a lost cause in that case. Don't know much about the Finkler Question, but it doesn't call to me at all.

Laura -- happy reading. Okay, I know, we can't "read" this book, but I can still spend lots of time with it. I brought along my oversized Great Britain Road Atlas, and my husband said "you don't need that, we have a GPS". Well, did I prove him wrong! And I can look at it for hours.

134janeajones
Août 9, 2013, 2:00 pm

Joyce -- Sounds like you had a wonderful time in London -- enjoying your pictures here and on FB -- is your daughter studying in London? And I'm admiring of your appropriate reading :-} and great haul of books.

135torontoc
Août 9, 2013, 2:07 pm

Your visit looks wonderful!
Want to hear about Sussex and Kent!

136Nickelini
Août 9, 2013, 2:14 pm

Jane - no, she's only 16. But she has plans to move to London at some point in her life.

137kidzdoc
Août 9, 2013, 2:30 pm

Wow! Great summary of your trip so far, Joyce. You and your family went to a ton of places! I know where Hammersmith is, but I have no idea where Watford and Thamesmead are.

Did you visit the London Review Bookshop and/or meet up with Rachael (FlossieT) when you went to the British Museum?

I'll have to explore Camden Town more in the future. I enjoyed dinner at inSpiral on Camden High Street when six of us LTers spent the day together, so I'll definitely go back there in the future.

I still haven't been to Regent's Park or St. James's Park. I've heard of Portobello Market, but I haven't gone there yet. I had wanted to visit Spitalfields Market, but I didn't make it there, and I didn't go to Borough Market (foodie heaven) either.

I like the special exhibitions I've seen at the Tate Modern, especially the one dedicated to Joan Miró last year, more than its permanent exhibits. I loved what I saw of the V&A, and I'm sure I'll go back there later this year.

I briefly walked in Hampstead Heath one day, until a sudden rain storm led me to change my plans. I'll have to go back there soon.

I look forward to your further accounts and photos!

138Nickelini
Modifié : Août 9, 2013, 2:31 pm

Want to hear about Sussex and Kent!

Okay, Cyrel, let's do that next then, shall we?

As much as I like London, it's really the villages and countryside of England that speak to my heart. We rented a car and trundled around the south for three days. This is what we saw:

Chiddingstone, Kent. This tiny village first came to my attention as it apparently was used as a location for one of my all-time favourite films, A Room with a View. I didn't actually recognize anything once I was there, but it was still worthwhile. It's been called "the most perfectly preserved Tudor village in England" and the entire place is part of the National Trust.


Afternoon creme tea in Chiddingstone

Then we went to Knole House, which is Vita Sackville-West's 600 year old family home and the setting for part of Virginia Woolf's novel Orlando. The house was closed for the day but we walked around the vast grounds.


Knole was a medieval deer hunting park.


On the grounds of Knole


Fab watching a cricket match at Knole and pretending he understands what's going on.


Knole House

139Nickelini
Août 9, 2013, 2:41 pm

Our country visit, day two

Our second day started with a visit to Monk House, country home of Virginia Woolf.


First we had a picnic on her back lawn. There were nice views of the Sussex Downs from here.


Then we had a rousing game of bocci ball (using a lawn bowling set, but we didn't know the rules for that so we made it bocci).


Toward the back of the property is a small building, a shed really, where Woolf wrote. And evidently entertained friends.


In her bedroom are several bookcases. Woolf hand covered these books herself. They were gorgeous. I wish some publisher would come out with special edition copies of these!

To be continued . . .

140Nickelini
Août 9, 2013, 2:56 pm

Sussex, day two cont.

After spending way more time at Monk's House than I imagined I'd be able to get my family to do, we drove down to Beachy Head. If you're seen the film Quadrophenia (the Who), this is the setting for the final scene where Jimmy sends Sting's stolen scooter off the cliff.


I didn't realize the English Channel could be Mediterranean Blue.


Beachy Head is England's top suicide spot. This religious plaque is a "don't despair" message.


It truly was the most beautiful day.




Waaaaay too close to the cliff for my tastes.

I don't have a picture handy, but the views away from the cliffs, inland, were also stunning. Doesn't this make you want to go to Beachy Head?

141janeajones
Août 9, 2013, 2:59 pm

absolutely! gorgeous pictures!

142Nickelini
Août 9, 2013, 3:03 pm

Sussex, day two, continued

You'd think that Monk's House and Beachy Head would be a full day, wouldn't you. Well, you'd be wrong. Not for this bunch. From Beachy Head we drove over to Brighton, where it just happened to be Gay Pride Weekend. The place was hopping. We left the festivities and went out on the Pier, where the girls enjoyed the amusement park:



View from the Pier:


Then we went for a fabulous dinner at an Italian restaurant in the historical area of the city:



Charlotte said this was her favourite day on the trip, and I think I agree with her.

143rebeccanyc
Août 9, 2013, 3:03 pm

What a great trip! And great photos, too! Thanks for sharing your trip with us.

And, what a relief to know I'm not a lost cause!

144Nickelini
Août 9, 2013, 3:08 pm

Sussex, day three

Back at it again. First we went to Bodiam Castle:



Then Hastings,



And finally, Battle (site of the Battle of Hastings, 1066). We got there after the Abbey was closed, but could walk across the fields and we had the whole place to ourselves, which was very, very cool indeed. The history geeks in the crowd (everyone except Fab) were absolutely tickled.

145torontoc
Août 9, 2013, 3:11 pm

Great photos!

146Nickelini
Août 9, 2013, 3:33 pm

Okay, one more adventure to show you. Mrs Dalloway will have to wait for later.

Nina and I are huge fans of the TV series, The Misfits, and promised ourselves that we would make the trip out to Southmere Lake in Thamesmead where it was filmed. The Clockwork Orange also had several location shots here. The architecture has been labelled "brutalist" which pretty much says it all.



We went out there on a Sunday afternoon (Fab & Charlotte went to Stratford to see the Olympic site). We forgot the instructions at the hotel, so we ended up getting lost, but that was part of the adventure, right? First we took the Docklands Light Railway to the very end of the line at Woolwich Arsenal, then we got on a bus and drove around Thamesmead for about an hour before getting off, buying a map, and walking the rest of the way. But we were successful!


The famous bench.


Really grotty. It smelled bad too.


This was an interesting housing complex--part of it was demolished, part of it was stripped down and ready for demolition, and part of it was still inhabited.

The next day when we met Paul for our tour of Lloyds of London, he asked what we'd seen so far. When we told him where we'd been he said "You went WHERE?!" Okay, so the area around Southmere Lake was pretty scary, but the rest of Thamesmead was fine--neat houses, nice cars. Really, I've seen much, much scarier and grosser areas around New York, Los Angeles, San Fransisco, and other US cities.

Anyway, it was a fun adventure.

147Nickelini
Août 9, 2013, 3:40 pm

Did you visit the London Review Bookshop and/or meet up with Rachael (FlossieT) when you went to the British Museum?

I'm sorry that I didn't get a chance. It's just really difficult sometimes to maneuver four people around.

I had wanted to visit Spitalfields Market, but I didn't make it there, and I didn't go to Borough Market

Me neither! Both on my list too.

148NanaCC
Août 9, 2013, 3:59 pm

Your photos are great. That is such a beautiful area. Looking forward to more.

149Cariola
Août 9, 2013, 4:35 pm

Great photos and travelogue, Joyce! Sounds like a fine time was had by all, at least at one time or another.

150japaul22
Août 9, 2013, 5:06 pm

I'm jealous - looks like a fantastic trip!

151baswood
Août 9, 2013, 5:37 pm

Great photos Joyce,

152dchaikin
Août 9, 2013, 8:57 pm

Thanks for sharing. Your trip sounds amazing and the pictures are terrific. I'm going to send my wife here to read your posts.

153Nickelini
Août 10, 2013, 1:26 am

I'm glad I could share this with all of you, and HI!, Daniel's wife.

154Nickelini
Août 10, 2013, 1:59 am

51. Hawksmoor, Peter Ackroyd, 1985


Cover comments: this is one of the Penguin Decades editions. The five 1980s books have covers by John Squire, and this one is the best. It appears to be a black chalk board, with at least two different scripts written on it, which fits the book perfectly. One of my favourite covers this year.

Comments: Hawksmoor is two parallel stories, told in alternating chapters. It begins with the first-person voice of Nicholas Dyer, an assistant to Christopher Wren in early 18th century London. His story is told in language Ackroyd learned from intense study of documents from that era. The other chapters are set in London of the 1980s and we are eventually introduced to Nicholas Hawksmoor, a police detective trying to solve a string of murders where the victims are found in historical churches--real churches that were designed by the 18th century architect Nicholas Hawksmoor.

I find this book really difficult to describe, and my best advice is to read StevenTX's review on the book's page. I agree with everything he says.

It reminded me a lot of another Ackroyd book, The House of Doctor Dee in that there are two story lines set a few hundred years apart, with common echoes and threads that run between them. Of the two novels, I preferred Hawksmoor. The 18th century dialogue, although still not fun, was better done here.

Hawksmoor is very dark, but it is also a terrifically clever and complex novel, with some interesting intertextuality (and I'm sure a good deal of intertextuality that went right over my head), but for the most part wasn't a particularly fun or enjoyable read.

Why I Read This Now: I collect the Penguin Decades editions, and this one is also on the 1001 books list, so I've had it for a while. I pulled it out at this point through since I was staying in Limehouse, a part of London figured prominently in the novel. I had a good laugh, reading it while I was actually there, and learning about the homeless population, the derelict houses and abandoned warehouses that made up the area in the 1980s. Now the area is full of million pound condos and gastro-pubs owned by Gordon Ramsey and Ian McKellen (Gandalf from the Lord of the Rings movies, among a zillion other roles). Shoulder of Mutton Alley from post 132, above, was a scary setting. How things change.


Nina in front of The Grapes, Ian McKellen's pub and restaurant on Narrow Street, Limehouse.

Rating: I agree with StevenTX 4 star rating, even though I didn't enjoy large parts of the book. I plan to reread this one day, just because I think it has so many interesting things going on. I've read several Peter Ackroyd books, and I like his ideas better than his execution. There's an excellent article on this book at Wikipedia, which helped me understand what's going on, and it includes this quotation:

"Peter Ackroyd himself is a harsh critic of his novel:

"I certainly haven’t looked at Hawksmoor again, I wouldn’t dare; I’m so aware of all the weaknesses in it, it’s an embarrassment. ... The modern sections are weak, not in terms of language, but weak in terms of those old-fashioned characteristics of plot, action, character, story; they are rather sketches, or scenarios, and that rather disappoints me about it. But at the time I didn’t know anything about writing fiction, so I just went ahead and did it. It’s only recently I’ve come to realize you’re meant to have plots and stories and so on. (Nicholas Dyer’s voice is) strong, but in part it is a patchwork of other people’s voices as well as my own. Actually it’s not really strong at all ... but what it is, is an echo from about three hundred different books as well as my own. He doesn’t really exist as a character—he’s just a little patchwork figure, like his author. ... You see, I was very young then and I didn’t realize that people had to have definite characters when they appeared in fiction. I saw it as a sort of linguistic exercise; it never occurred to me that they had to have a life beyond words."


St. Anne's, Limehouse -- a Nicholas Hawksmoor church and setting for one of the murders in the novel.

Recommended for: not sure. Maybe people who like unusual, dark, and intellectual novels.

155dchaikin
Août 10, 2013, 2:14 am

The Name of the Rose comes to mind reading your review. I might just check this one out as I'm immersed in the worlds of William Stukeley and Isaac Newton...both of whom interacted with Christopher Wren and are in some way likely associated with a great number of those three hundred books that make up Nicholas Dyer.

156Helenliz
Août 10, 2013, 7:00 am

Excellent sightseeing there. And you seem to have picked some nice weather to go with it (Do I need say that the summer we've been having is exceptional!)

love the bookshelves - and that you took a picture of them - seems rather appropriate somehow.

157rebeccanyc
Août 10, 2013, 9:50 am

Fascinating to read what Ackroyd thought of his own work!

158janeajones
Août 10, 2013, 9:58 am

Interesting review of Hawksmoor -- the Christopher Wren sections sound fascinating, though I don't know if I'm up for the early novelist blundering in the modern sections of the book which Ackroyd himself describes.

159Nickelini
Août 10, 2013, 11:16 am

My 13 year old daughter, Charlotte, loves to make videos. If you have 2 minutes, watch her video of our trip. I think it's quite fun: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQOUE4df2so

160Nickelini
Août 10, 2013, 11:18 am

I don't know if I'm up for the early novelist blundering in the modern sections of the book which Ackroyd himself describes.

I actually much preferred those sections. Sure, they're not perfect, but I've read a lot worse.

161kidzdoc
Août 10, 2013, 12:16 pm

>159 Nickelini: That is a brilliant and hilarious video! Well done, Charlotte!

162StevenTX
Août 10, 2013, 12:19 pm

Wonderful pictures and an amazing video. Charlotte is very talented.

And thanks for plugging my Hawksmoor review. During my recent all-too-brief visit to London the names Wren and Hawksmoor came up several times, and it always gave me an eerie feeling even though I knew that Ackroyd's satanic character was pure invention.

163Nickelini
Août 10, 2013, 12:30 pm

That is a brilliant and hilarious video! Well done, Charlotte! and Charlotte is very talented.

Thanks! I'll pass along the compliments. I think she's talented too--she's also a very good writer, and participated in NaNoWriMo last year. She completed her novel (about 36,000 words I think), and because she was under 13 at the time, NaNoWriMo arranged to have it published no charge. So we have 5 copies of it. I think that's pretty cool.

The last two weeks of August she is taking a film production class and then a creative writing class at the local community college (summer program for teens).

164kidzdoc
Août 10, 2013, 12:54 pm

Fabulous! When I was 13 I could barely remember to keep my thumb out of the way when I took pictures with Kodak disposable cameras...

165Nickelini
Août 10, 2013, 12:56 pm

52. Tube Trivia: an A-Z of fascinating facts about the London Underground, Andrew Emmerson, 2013


Cover comments: this works. It appears to be the junction of the Piccadilly, District, and Circle lines between Earl's Court and Gloucester Road.

Comments & Why I Read This Now Emmerson packs in a lot of information in this small book. My daughter picked it up early in our trip at the British Library gift shop, and we were soon experts in all sorts of esoteric knowledge about the Tube.

Rating: A fun and educational little book. 4 stars.

Recommended for: people who are interested in London's Tube but don't want to invest a great deal of time learning about it. Also London trivia buffs.

166baswood
Août 10, 2013, 2:11 pm

Loved the video.

I found Hawksmoor difficult to read, but it amazing what the author says about it.

167NanaCC
Août 10, 2013, 3:28 pm

I will have to wait to see Charlotte's video. I am on vacation and wasn't able to open it on my iPad.

I am interested in Hawksmoor, and my daughter has it on her shelf.

168rebeccanyc
Août 10, 2013, 5:52 pm

The video is great! She's very talented.

169detailmuse
Août 10, 2013, 7:34 pm

Terrific pictures and a fun video! You look right at home at Woolf's writing "shed," that's a great group of photos.

170kidzdoc
Août 11, 2013, 6:36 pm

Nice review of Tube Trivia, Joyce. You're right; that cover definitely portrays the Piccadilly, District and Circle lines between Earl's Court and Gloucester Road stations.

171Nickelini
Août 11, 2013, 11:13 pm

#170 - Darryl - and you win this round of "name that Tube intersection!" (Now I have to think of an exciting prize . . . A free map of the Tube system? A one-day 7 zone Oyster card?)

172kidzdoc
Août 12, 2013, 5:22 am

LOL! I have a couple of Tube maps and my trusty Oyster card. Could I request a free book from the London Review Bookshop or a ticket to an upcoming performance at the National Theatre?

173RidgewayGirl
Août 12, 2013, 5:49 am

My own daughter, Charlotte, liked the video, too.

174Nickelini
Août 13, 2013, 11:54 am

As promised, here is the Mrs Dalloway walk. There are several websites that map out her famous walk to "buy the flowers herself" and I followed the one detailed at http://www.virginiawoolfsociety.co.uk/vw_res.walk.htm

My 16 yr old daughter, Nina, and I followed the walk in the early afternoon of August 1, 2013, which was deemed the hottest August day in London in 10 years (34 C at Heathrow) and also happened to be my 50th birthday.

I was instructed to start at Dean's Yard, Westminster Abbey (Mr Dalloway walks to and from work through here, I gather)


The Dalloways either live on Great College St . . .


. . . or Barton St


"What a lark, what a plunge!"

Mrs Dalloway, Nina and I took many twisty turns to walk out of this neighbourhood . . . this is Cowley St


and a lovely doorway along the way:


Eventually she walks down Abbey Orchard St and crosses Victoria St. As you can see, there is no longer an orchard on that spot:


"Such fools we are, she thought, crossing Victoria St."


This is Queen Anne's Gate, which had some gorgeous townhouses.

We all then entered St. James's Park, where Mrs Dalloway runs into Hugh Whitbread.

On the day Nina and I entered the park, it was full of office workers eating their take-away lunches from Pret a Manger.

We all cross over the water in the middle of the park.

View toward Buckingham Palace


View toward the City and the London Eye.

We all crossed The Mall


and finally reached "the Park gates. . . (and) the omnibuses in Piccadilly." This is at the entrance to the Green Park Underground station, beside the Ritz Hotel. We then headed up Old Bond St, where Mrs Dalloway bought those famous flowers and also heard the car backfire. Now Bond St is full of luxury shops like Yves St Laurent and Prada. Yawn


175NanaCC
Août 13, 2013, 12:28 pm

Lovely pictures! Thank you for sharing.

176detailmuse
Août 13, 2013, 4:45 pm

>174 Nickelini: Thanks for the narrated tour! I'm going to begin the book again and come back!

177kidzdoc
Août 13, 2013, 7:05 pm

Great photos, Joyce! I followed along, using my London A to Z guide. I especially liked the photos of Buckingham Palace and the City taken from St James's Park. Bond Street, not so much.

178avidmom
Août 13, 2013, 11:00 pm

What a great collection of photos!
Love the quotes underneath too.

179janeajones
Août 13, 2013, 11:11 pm

Gorgeous.

180dchaikin
Août 13, 2013, 11:38 pm

Love that post. I'm regretting not having read Mrs. Dalloway.

181Cariola
Août 14, 2013, 1:11 pm

What fun! I love meandering through the London neighborhoods.

182mkboylan
Août 14, 2013, 10:54 pm

What a fun tour! Thanks for posting that.

183Nickelini
Août 15, 2013, 4:59 pm

Thanks to everyone who visited my Mrs Dalloway walk!

184Nickelini
Modifié : Août 15, 2013, 5:28 pm

53. Case Histories, Kate Atkinson, 2004


Cover comments: Boring! My book also has six pages of reviewer blurbs on the inside and back covers and no description of the novel--hype and no substance (for any publishers out there, those blurbs make my eyes glaze over and do not convince me to read any book).

Rating: 4 stars for the book + .5 star for extra enjoyment factor = four and a half stars

Comments: The book opens with three detailed and unrelated stories: two crimes that have gone cold (a missing 3 year old child and a the slaying of a young woman by a stranger) and a seemingly straightforward murder. These make up the "Case Histories" along with some later introduced crimes. The link between them becomes the ex-cop PI Jackson Brodie.

Case Histories grabbed me right from the first page, and I flew through it in a little over a day. I loved the different stories, and Atkinson's great skill at showing the humanity, tragedy, and comedy of her characters. I also loved how she captured bits of culture in her story telling. But her strong point is definitely in creating interesting, unique characters. I especially appreciated her courage to depict several unhappy mothers--my heart especially ached for Rosemary (the mother of the Land girls). No homage to the cult of motherhood here, thank you very much.

Case Histories is a popular novel here at LT; however, it has also earned a number of negative 2-star reviews. Most of the readers who don't like it point out three different things. First, it's billed as a mystery but doesn't follow the traditional structure of a mystery story (there's not that much detective work for the reader to do), second, it's too disjointed, and three, the characters are unlikeable or uninteresting. These to me were all strong areas of the novel--not much of a mystery reader myself, and I loved the disjointed structure, and I thought the characters were fascinating--warts and all. Some readers complained that the ending was too coincidental, but I see Atkinson creating a story here--not trying to recreate life. In the end I thought this was a smart, terrific read.


My daughter shot this yesterday when I couldn't put Case Histories down but also had to go water my dry garden.

Recommended for: unless you are a traditionalist when it comes to mystery stories, or you're someone who doesn't like multiple storylines and nonlinear stories, I think you should give this a try.

Why I Read This Now: It had been in my TBR pile since 2008.

185mkboylan
Août 15, 2013, 6:58 pm

oh man I love that pic!

186baswood
Août 15, 2013, 7:06 pm

Nice picture Joyce and an Excellent review of Case Histories

187detailmuse
Août 15, 2013, 8:41 pm

>184 Nickelini: love the photo! That ought to be a blurb.

Between this and Life After Life I'm convinced to try something by Atkinson -- and then I looked at her list and recognized three more titles that have caught my attention. It's a lot to have heard about an author I haven't yet read.

188lauralkeet
Août 15, 2013, 9:21 pm

Excellent review Joyce! I saw the photo on FB and immediately wondered what you were reading. I loved Case Histories, and have since enjoyed everything written by Atkinson.

189StevenTX
Août 16, 2013, 9:45 am

Great review and photo. (I wouldn't be able to turn the pages without getting the book wet.) I would probably agree with you that the things some people dislike about the novel are actually its strong points.

190Nickelini
Août 20, 2013, 12:49 pm

Excuse the cross-post if you've seen this already. I'm putting it here in case I need to find it later:

Cover art cliches: http://www.buzzfeed.com/lukelewis/19-book-cover-cliches

Some of these are just a reuse of the same photo, others are truly cliches. It really does illustrate what I've heard about book publishing today--there is very little time or money to spend on the cover art. Hence the repeated images. Interesting though.

-----------------
These are the cover art cliches they identify:

1. Scary silhouette man
2. Woman holding a birdcage for some reason
3. Man lurking by fence (with or without fog)
4. woman in long white dress
5. woman in long backless dress
6. bloke with sword
7. bloke in hood
8. bloke wearing hood & carrying a sword
9. woman looking out over water (aka Water Gazers)
10. shadowy man walking into the distance (aka Walkers Away)
11. woman with luggage
12 woman's legs
13. lots of black and red. Gothic font
14. pink & sparkly
15. high heels, muted tones
16. jewellery, muted tones
17. child's sad face, handwriting-style font
18. spooky road to nowhere
19. just some leaves

191NanaCC
Août 20, 2013, 3:48 pm

Joyce, I am finally home from vacation and got to see Charlotte's video. Very clever and well done.

192Nickelini
Août 20, 2013, 4:03 pm

54. The Amulet of Samarkand, Jonathan Stroud, 2004


Cover comments: Well, the black and teal are pleasing. But the art? It says to me "this is not the book for you." The creature looks like one of those hideous beasts that people get tattooed across their shoulder that make me wonder "really? you want to look at THAT for the rest of your life? Are you sure this makes a statement you really want to convey?"

Comments: Bartimaeus is a 5000 year old djinni who an 11 year old magician's apprentice named Nathaniel summons for help. Nathaniel is potentially a magician genius who is training under a weak and uninspired master. When a more powerful magician insults Nathaniel and his master doesn't defend or protect him, Nathaniel swears to get his revenge. In the process he gets himself involved in events that reach to the highest level of the British government, and are also way beyond his powers. The Amulet of Samarkand is told in alternating chapters--first person narration by the cheeky djinni Bartimaeus, and third person narration focusing on Nathaniel.

What I Liked About the Novel: you may have guessed that this is not the type of book I normally enjoy. However, I did like the alternate London that the story is set in, and I enjoyed the humour and clever use of language.

What I Didn't Like:Bartimaeus is an entertaining enough main character, but as a djinni, there's really no expectation with character growth or revealing information. It's hard to put a lot of depth into a magical being. As for Nathaniel, one of his main motivations is pride, and when he's not faking power, he's sniveling. He wasn't all that easy to cheer for, and not even Bartimaeus liked him. But what I disliked the most is that the book was too long (462 p) and had far too many action scenes--which is to be expected from this genre and is why I don't often read books like The Amulet of Samarkand. It's not a stupid book by any means--just not my sort of thing.

Recommended for: The Amulet of Samarkand combines an alternate England setting like we experienced in the Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman, the young boy learning magic that we found in Harry Potter, and the fun word play that we enjoyed in The Series of Unfortunate Events. If you liked those books, give this one a try too.

Why I Read This Now: I did like all of those books to some degree, and my daughter wanted me to read this. It's good leave your comfort zone once in a while.

Rating 3 stars.

193Cariola
Modifié : Août 20, 2013, 4:04 pm

191> Worse still are when not only the same motif but the identical picture is being used, as in some of those examples. I have seen this portrait of Emma, Lady Hamilton on at least 10 different books, several of which I own.

194Nickelini
Août 20, 2013, 4:10 pm

Deborah - Yes, I recognize that portrait from covers. At least it's a good picture--some of the examples they gave were much worse.

Nana - thanks for watching! She really has fun with her video camera and editing software.

195juliette07
Août 21, 2013, 10:56 am

Joooyce - your pictures and commentary are brilliant - well done you! SO many places we know as well - made me quite home sick. Son John and Brazilian wife Ana live near the Harry Potter place and daughter Catherine with new grandson live in Worthing - so close to Brighton!

So sorry we weren't in England - it would have been fun to meet up somewhere - so pleased you like the British Museum and I simply love the history of it all. Looks like the weather was pretty good as well - phew! Lovely to know we will have Nina in London one day - has she given Cambridge the thumbs down? You certainly packed in a lot - kudos and love to you all !

196Nickelini
Août 22, 2013, 12:00 am

Julie - Thanks for stopping by! I'm so sorry we missed you too, although I did think of you over in France when we were on the cliffs at Beachy Head, imagining I saw France across the water. But how gorgeous are those cliffs! Wow, I'm so glad we got there, and the weather was spectacular. All through our trip, really. A bit hot at times, as with our trip in 2009. We only had rain one morning, and coming from Vancouver, it felt very normal and almost welcome. (Although, actually we've had almost no rain here in Vancouver all summer--just postcard picture perfect weather day after day).

As for Cambridge, Nina has not given it the thumbs down, but no one thinks it's realistic at this point. She knows someone who applied who has a 99 percent GPA from a prestigious private school here who didn't get in (his name is Alistair, and he was born wearing an ascot, so really, this first failure of his was quite a stunner!), so there you go. However, good schools here do "semesters abroad" and transfer programs, and there is always third and forth year, or even graduate degrees to be explored in England. I think she should start here. However, she does have EU citizenship through Fab, so it's not entirely unrealistic. Both my daughters love England, so I hope one of them ends up there, so I have an excellent excuse to visit.

197Nickelini
Modifié : Août 22, 2013, 12:17 am

and daughter Catherine with new grandson live in Worthing - so close to Brighton!

I wasn't sure what to expect from Brighton, and I think I may have confused some of what I've heard with Blackpool. Silly, I'm sure, but when both are equal foreign to you . . . (and I've still not been to Blackpool, so what do I know). Anyway, Brighton was actually a nice surprise. For some reason I thought it was sort of seedy (maybe reading Brighton Rock by Graham Greene last year?), but it wasn't at all. Hastings was a bit more squidgy, but really, compared to other places in the world I've been, England is pretty un-seedy in general. I thought that in general, things seemed to be looking pretty sunny, economically speaking. It looks like a place very much on the upswing, and not one going through tough economic times.

198Helenliz
Août 22, 2013, 1:55 am

I don't know if the US universities do the reverse of what I did - first year course in the UK, then I did my second year at University of Texas (go longhorns!) and third year back in the UK. In the second year I had a number of set courses to take, but then had to make up to a certain number of hours with other courses the university offered. I assume that the reverse trip might be an option? Not sure where from, but in my year we went to UCSB, Texas, and Massachusetts (I think - Amherst?)

The trouble with Oxbridge is that you have to apply to a college, not the university, and the popular colleges are massively over subscribed. So you have to be exceptional to even stand a chance of getting in. And they are often looking for the spark of something special as well as a good grade set.

My main driver in picking a university was it had to be far enough away that my parents couldn't "pop in". I think across the Atlantic might just qualify there >;-)

199lauralkeet
Août 22, 2013, 8:03 am

My daughter studies English at Kenyon College, a small liberal arts school in Ohio. In addition to having a beautiful campus and a fine English department, one of its selling points is the Kenyon Exeter Program, a full year English program at the University of Exeter. She leaves in just a couple of weeks, which is rather exciting for all of us.

200NanaCC
Août 22, 2013, 10:01 am

Laura, that sounds wonderful. What a great opportunity for her. Will you be going to help her get settled?

201Nickelini
Août 22, 2013, 10:40 am

Helen -- I really don't know anything about how universities work in the US, and they're not on Nina's radar at all. I think she's with you though in wanting to be far away--just maybe not her first year. Or she may take a gap year and go travel first. The university I went to had lots of programs with universities all over the world (I think this is a common thing?), but I never looked into them because I was a mature student with a husband and kids so I couldn't exactly go abroad. Maybe that's one of the reasons I'd like my girls to be able to combine travel and study.

I didn't know about the Oxbridge colleges thing, but that makes perfect sense.

Laura -- that's so exciting! How often are you going to visit?

202Nickelini
Août 22, 2013, 11:05 am

55. An Experiment in Love, Hilary Mantel, 1995


I rather like this cover, and I think it spoke to me the most out of my stack of potential Hilary Mantel reads. It has that swingin' London feel to it. However, it is the cliche "walker away" shot, and also, it doesn't illustrate the main character in the novel, who moves to London and cuts her hair very short (and then dyes it bright red). It could conceivably be Julia, but why would you put Julia on the front cover? Another example of the publisher just slapping any old thing on the cover. They don't get it.

Comments: It's 1970, and Carmel McBain arrives in London from the north to start university. Living in her residence is a Julia, a friend from home, and also Karina, who Carmel has had a rocky relationship with most of her life. An Experiment in Love goes back and forth between life as a poor student, and her early life as a poor Catholic school girl.

I didn't know when I started An Experiment in Love that the main character would struggle with a form of anorexia, and I'm always interested in seeing how different authors treat eating disorders in fiction. So that was a bonus for me. I also didn't know that this novel was a bit of a homage to The Girls of Slender Means by Muriel Spark, so that was sort of fun too.

I have NO idea what the title means, or how it relates to the book.

Why I Read This Now: somehow I came to own 7 Hilary Mantel books without ever having read her. I know this probably wasn't the one to start with, and I should probably read Wolf Hall*, but it's just so long, and I'm still Tudor-ed out, and I've been scared off by the whole pronoun thing I've heard so much about . . . but one day.

*Nice how the touchstone for Wolf Hall gives me To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf and no option to pick the actual book. I know, I know, that Wolf Hall book is just too obscure. Sheesh.

Rating: 4 stars

Recommended for: readers who like well-written novels and think the subject sounds interesting.

203rebeccanyc
Août 22, 2013, 3:48 pm

An Experiment in Love wasn't one of my favorite Mantels, but I'm glad I read it anyway.

204Nickelini
Août 22, 2013, 3:54 pm

Rebecca - yes, I can't see it really being anyone's favourite book (or fav by the author), but it was worth reading.

205Helenliz
Août 22, 2013, 4:03 pm

Apologies, I'd assumed you were in the US - not Canada. Sorry, my mistake.

206lauralkeet
Août 22, 2013, 4:15 pm

>200 NanaCC:,201: my husband is going over with her to get her settled in. Not sure about visits during the year (she'll be home at Christmas), but I'm thinking I might go over near the end of the school year.

207baswood
Août 22, 2013, 5:04 pm

Nice review of An Experiment in love Touchstone seems to be working tonight,

208SassyLassy
Août 22, 2013, 5:05 pm

>nickelini, if you have A Place of Greater Safety on your Mantel TBR, that would be a great place to start.

MUN is about as far away from BC as you can get in Canada and has some great overseas programmes. I wish they'd had political science in Uppsala when I was a student!

http://www.mun.ca/arts/undergraduate/abroad/

209Nickelini
Août 23, 2013, 11:35 am

Helen - no worries! I wasn't sure if you thought I was in the US or you were suggesting that she go to a US uni so she could find one of those programs.

Sassy - How fun! Did you attend MUN?

210SassyLassy
Août 23, 2013, 8:30 pm

>209 Nickelini: I did indeed. It was a true " and now for something completely different" kind of world, but I loved it and thought the professors, in my courses at least, were excellent. Lots of imaginative programmes. NL is a place the ROC has no conception of and I would highly recommend at least a trip.

211Nickelini
Août 23, 2013, 8:47 pm

ROC = rest of Canada?

I'd love to visit! One of these days when the kids are out of the house I think, because my husband wants to go too. So I do see it in our future. I've met a lot of people that have moved from Newfoundland to Vancouver, and they are all very different from each other, so I have no set Neffie stereotype in my head.

For now, I have to be satisfied with having flown over it on the way to and from Europe ;-)

212dchaikin
Août 23, 2013, 10:05 pm

That photo in #184 would make a nice Club Read cover photo...

I was actually curious about The Amulet of Samarkand, and whether it was something my daughter might like. So, glad to read your review. I won't pursue it...anyway she finds her own books these days.

Enjoyed your review of An Experiement in Love. I have read Wolf Hall. I should read something else by Mantel.

213VivienneR
Août 24, 2013, 1:36 am

nickelini, I just mentioned you in the thread re: Guardian First Book Award in the Prizes group. Thought I'd let you know in case you don't watch that group.

Guardian First Book Award

214Nickelini
Août 24, 2013, 2:53 am

I was actually curious about The Amulet of Samarkand, and whether it was something my daughter might like. So, glad to read your review. I won't pursue it...anyway she finds her own books these days.

Well, my daughter who is now 16 has read the trilogy three times (starting when she was 12), and while it's not her favourite (she's a huge Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings fan), she does really love it. So maybe a gentle nudge.

That photo in #184 would make a nice Club Read cover photo...

People have really responded to it--got a zillion likes on Facebook too. To me, it's just what I do. Whatever.

#213 -- Vivienne --Thanks-I've said my piece!

215VivienneR
Août 24, 2013, 1:19 pm

#214 And a brilliant piece it was too!

216Nickelini
Août 26, 2013, 2:37 pm

56. Offshore, Penelope Fitzgerald, 1979


Cover comments: Okay, but doesn't capture the feel of the book--it reminds me of the sunny and charming Regents Canal instead of the grey, smelly Thames. Also, it doesn't draw me in. But it's not hideous or anything.

Rating: 4 stars

Comments Offshore is Penelope Fitzgerald's Booker-winning short novel about an eclectic group of nice people who live on houseboats, or barges, moored along the Battersea Reach of the Thames in the 1960s. This novel's strongest asset, to me, is all the characters, especially six-year old Tilda, who is probably unrealistically adult, but delightful anyway. I found all the characters and their liminal lives to be well-drawn and interesting.

Offshore is one of those controversial Booker winners, as described in this worth-reading article in the Guardian: http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2009/mar/13/booker-prize-fitzgerald-o... It may not have been the best book nominated in 1979, but it certainly has depth and shows Fitzgerald's talent at saying something meaningful with only a few words.

Recommended for: readers who like books with strong, unusual characters.

Why I Read This Now: all the talk about Bookers on LT made me want to read one of the winners that I have in my TBR pile.

217NanaCC
Août 26, 2013, 5:39 pm

Offshore is on my daughter's shelf, so I will get to it eventually. It sounds good.

218dchaikin
Août 26, 2013, 10:19 pm

Interesting Guardian article...ok, I only read part of it, but that was enough. Giving these awards is not such an easy thing to do by committee.

219Nickelini
Août 26, 2013, 11:48 pm

Yes-- committee work is one of the things I miss least from the corporate world.

I've mulled over the last paragraph of the article a few times. Here it is:

"Hillary Spurling also said the widespread incredulity that greeted this unexpected triumph caused Fitzgerald "pain … and humiliation ever after". The author was probably all too aware that this wasn't the best book on the shortlist – or even her best. It's perhaps also the reason her later, far better historical novels didn't even get a look-in for the prize. Injustice all round."

At this point, I'm not even sure how he comes to the conclusion that "It's perhaps also the reason her later, far better historical novels didn't even get a look-in for the prize". But her historical novels, I think, ARE considered stronger. I've now read two of her books, and the other was The Beginning of Spring, which I thought was brilliant. And one of those later historical novels. And probably better than Offshore. But the more I think of the later, the more I like it.

220baswood
Août 27, 2013, 5:14 am

Great link to the guardian article. Everybody's safe second choice should not win prizes, shame on the panel.

221Nickelini
Août 28, 2013, 6:54 pm

57. Shame, Jasvinder Sanghera, 2007


Cover comments: I really like the shiny ruby-red foil letters. As for the picture . . . it’s okay, I guess, other than it looks like my daughter’s 12 year old English-Greek friend rather than the Indian teenager it’s supposed to be . . . see my cover comments in post #46, above. What’s up with this white washing of Indian book covers? Anyone who picks up either of these books will know in seconds that the stories are about Indian people. I know that there are Indians who have light skin and eyes and look more European, but I don’t think that’s who the publishers are representing here. Yet another publisher embarrassing themselves by their cultural insensitivity.

Comments Shame is a gripping memoir that I read in under 24 hours. When she is 15, British born and raised Jasvinder, a Sikh girl, is told it is time to marry the man her parents have picked out for her—a stranger from India who she hasn’t met. She only wants to finish school and maybe even go to university. Having watched her older sisters enter miserable forced marriages that they are told to shut up and endure, she refuses to get married, and her parents lock her under house arrest. With the help of a friend’s older brother, she escapes. A month or so later, a police officer convinces her to contact her family. She hopes that she has made her point and that they will let her come home. She is shocked to hear that they consider her dead to them and they hope that she becomes destitute and is forced to live in the gutter.

*warning: spoilers below*

She eventually marries the brother, Jassey, they have a daughter, start several businesses, and buy houses. Unfortunately, because she left home while still very much a child, and because her parents didn’t teach her any life or coping skills, and because she had no healthy relationships on which to model her marriage, Jasvinder screws up and her marriage ends. This is followed by another failed marriage and two more children.

Throughout this, Jasvinder painfully misses her family, and at times reconnects with some of her six sisters and occasionally her parents (but never her one brother, who was raised by his parents to be a spoiled, entitled loser). Most of her contact with her family, however, involves her helping them out without them ever supporting her. One of her sisters tries to leave an abusive relationship but her family and the community leaders tell her she has to stay with her husband. The next week the sister burns to death. Officially it is deemed a suicide, but Jasvinder wonders if it was murder. Spurred by this tragedy, . . . .

*end spoilers*

. . . she vows to help the voiceless women who are suffering in the south Indian community. She starts a charity, http://www.karmanirvana.org.uk/, earns her A levels and then a university degree. Through her charity, she is successful in gaining recognition for honour killings and the problem of forced marriage in the UK—a problem that most people didn’t realize existed at the time. The book ends with some horrific cases of honour killings that she has come across in the UK. This was published in 2007 and followed by two sequels. This year (2013), she was awarded the Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE).

Jasvinder’s story takes place in the Sikh community in the UK, but similar stories happen in other cultural groups throughout the world. The cultures and religions vary, but hers is an unfortunately too common problem. That said, I’ve had two close Sikh friends, and many Sikh acquaintances, and Jasvinder’s story is extreme. I just wouldn’t want someone to read this book on my recommendation and then walk away thinking that this is the norm for Sikhs (at least it isn’t in my experience).

Recommended for: this is one of those books that I give a broad recommendation as a must read for everyone, especially anyone who is unaware that forced marriage is a problem in Europe and North America (and Australia, and New Zealand). As I write this, teenagers are preparing to return to school. How many won’t be returning to start this new school year? Shame reminds me in many ways of Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s Infidel, although narrower in scope. But both are memoirs written by brave women who chose to stand up for themselves and not agree to be sacrificed for some traditional concept of “family honour.” Both women over came considerable odds to get an education, and now are using their brains and experience to assist others.

Rating: 4.5 stars—one of the more compelling books I’ve read this summer. It’s a memoir, so don’t expect a literary masterpiece. Some readers complain that they don’t like Jasvinder because she makes stupid decisions, mistreats her first husband (who is made to look like a saint), and is sometimes selfish. Just a little lacking in insight. Okay, a lot lacking in insight. I guess if they ran away from an abusive situation while still a child, with no life skills, and made their own way in the world, they would be likeable, cheerful, and perfect at all times. (Was I just being sarcastic?)

222NanaCC
Août 28, 2013, 9:06 pm

You have piqued my interest with your review of Shame.

223Nickelini
Août 28, 2013, 9:13 pm

Nana - I'm just impressed you actually read it. Sorry it was so long!

224NanaCC
Août 28, 2013, 9:36 pm

Lol. I think it shows how much it meant to you.

225dchaikin
Août 28, 2013, 10:08 pm

Great review. It is crazy enough to think that this happens in the UK, what about elsewhere...

#219 thanks for post that last paragraph. I feel bad for Fitzgerald.

226Nickelini
Août 29, 2013, 12:35 am

I feel bad for Fitzgerald

Me too!

227Nickelini
Modifié : Août 29, 2013, 2:09 am

58. Size 12 is Not Fat, Meg Cabot, 2005


Cover comments: this is okay, but it doesn't tell you that the book is a murder mystery.

Comments: Chick lit meets murder mystery. Heather Wells is a 27 yr old former teen pop star. Her mother ran off to Argentina with her money and her manager, her boy band boyfriend takes up with someone else, and her record label drops her. Instead of grasping at the past, she sets off to start a new life with a regular-person's job and the hope of a university degree. But then at her job at New York College, one girl is found dead and then a second. Heather is the only one that thinks the deaths aren't accidental.

For the most part, this is a fun and entertaining read that isn't too stupid. I got a little tired with some of her obsessions (lousy eating habits, her perfect landlord Cooper, etc.), and the author sends some mixed messages about women's bodies and whether size 12 really might be fat after all. However, she did use the title effectively in the final chapters of the book.

Also, the person who read this audio book made most of the female students sound like annoying bimbos who wouldn't qualify for higher education. Not sure if that was just the reader or the actual text, but I'm not sure why it was necessary. Couldn't they just be normal?

Recommended for: This is a fun book for someone who is looking for a break from books with gravitas. If you're looking for a little mind candy, this might do the trick.

Why I Read This Now: I first saw this title while browsing at the delightful Banff Book & Art Den (another wonderful independent that has since closed) when it was first published, and I laughed out loud. Not the sort of book I'd pay full price for, but I always remembered the title and figured I'd run across a cheap or free copy eventually. It took 8 years, and then this popped up on the available audiobooks to download from my library.

Rating 3.5 stars.

228baswood
Août 29, 2013, 6:14 pm

Excellent review of Shame, Jasvinder Sanghera. Arranged marriages within a Western community seem abhorrent to most of us, but they are not all forced marriages and they work very well in certain communities. I am not of a mind to condemn them all out of hand, although I am of a mind to condemn any abusive marriages or relationships.

229avidmom
Août 29, 2013, 8:32 pm

Thanks for the review of Shame. Having survived an abusive marriage (by getting out of it!), the bit about the sister being told to stay put certainly got my attention. It makes my blood boil when religion and/or cultural norms take the place of common sense!

>227 Nickelini: Ha ha! I saw that title on LT a few years ago and loved it because I had just "graduated" into my size 12 wardrobe. Sounds like fun.

230Nickelini
Août 29, 2013, 8:41 pm

Barry - Shame makes it very clear that forced marriages and arranged marriages are not the same thing at all. The charity websites I checked out also make a clear distinction. An arranged marriage between two consenting ADULTS = okay. Consenting and Adult being the key words there. An arranged marriage between two people, one or both who may not be consenting, one who may not be an adult (sometimes adult daughters are also force to marry against their consent--it's not necessarily minors) = a forced marriage = bad! In the South Asian community this appears to often involve someone looking for a legal way to move to Europe, North America, Australia, or New Zealand (mixed with a traditional idea of women and their lack of agency)

231kidzdoc
Août 29, 2013, 8:44 pm

Great review of Shame, Joyce. you would have to pay me to read Size 12 Is Not Fat, though.

232Nickelini
Août 29, 2013, 8:46 pm

229 - Yes, Shame made me livid at many points! It's not a "man-hating" book though--her father has a definite good side, and the guy that helped her run away was almost too perfect. But any action that sacrifices compassion or common sense for cultural or religious traditions or duties makes me crazy!

Congrats on your graduation! You should look up the book if you think it sounds fun, but I recommend a library or other free or cheap copy.

233Nickelini
Août 29, 2013, 8:46 pm

Darryl - yes, Size 12 is Not Fat is definitely not the book for you!

234rebeccanyc
Août 30, 2013, 9:00 am

Great review of Shame, and thought-provoking.

235Nickelini
Sep 1, 2013, 1:16 pm

It's September and I'm moving on to a new thread. Please join me at: http://www.librarything.com/talktopic.php?continue=155123&check=3544847365

236mkboylan
Sep 1, 2013, 11:36 pm

Caught up and switching over!
Ce sujet est poursuivi sur Nickelini in 2013, Part Four.